The Missouri House on Thursday approved a $47.9 billion state operating budget — about $3 billion less than last year's budget.
Roughly $14 billion of it comes from state general revenue.
House Budget Chair Dirk Deaton, R-Seneca, called the budget balanced and fiscally responsible.
"Not just in this year being balanced, but it truly does set us up for success in the out years as well, beyond just fiscal year 2026 but looking even to fiscal year 2027 and beyond," Deaton said.
The budget includes $375 million toward school transportation as well as almost $67 million for grants that will provide a $40,000 baseline salary for teachers.
Despite Republicans touting its investments in K-12 education, this year's budget falls roughly $300 million short of fully funding the state's foundation formula for public schools.
House Democrats repeatedly spoke against that decision, and not one Democrat voted for the budget bill on public education.
Rep. Betsy Fogle, D-Springfield, said she hopes some of that money is restored when the Senate considers the bill. She also wants to see tens of millions of federal dollars that Gov. Mike Kehoe requested for child care subsidies put back into the budget.
"Especially on the back of an 18-month span where we sat in that budget hearing room for countless hours, listening to people cry and scream and express their frustration about our inability to do our job as a general assembly and the department to get those dollars out the door," Fogle said.
Fogle said she thinks the Senate will restore some of that funding.
The budget also includes Kehoe's request of $50 million to the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Fund.
The account allows families to get funding to send their children to the school of their choice, including private schools.
Beyond education, the budget includes funding 1% raises for state workers for every two years of employment, up to 10 years. That would result in a maximum 5% raise.
That rate falls below what Kehoe asked for, which was a 1% raise for every two years of state employment up to 20 years, which would result in a 10% raise.
The operating budget now goes to the Senate, where changes are likely.
The nearly $48 billion budget is roughly $2 billion less than Kehoe suggested.
Copyright 2025 St. Louis Public Radio
