Missouri state budget

The Missouri House declined to pass one budget bill that contained hundreds of millions of dollars for capital improvement projects across the state. Now that proposed funding is effectively dead for the session.

The House's budget bill is $3 billion less than last year's budget, and includes raises for state employees and $375 million for school transportation. It now goes to the Senate, where changes are likely.

The Missouri House is expected to pass a state budget bill that falls short of fully funding public schools. A committee is also slated to advance a proposed constitutional amendment that overturns parts of Amendment 3, the voter-passed measure that enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution.

The Republican-led legislature is considering changing or repealing some voter-approved measures, including abortion legalization and the minimum wage hike. Lawmakers also need to pass a budget, which may look much smaller than previous years.

This year’s supplemental budget includes money for services for developmentally disabled people and avian flu response, among other programs. The budget also has about $300 million for public education.

Missouri officials doubt the state could stop accepting Medicaid expansion applicants if the federal government provides less money. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley says he'd be "really concerned" about significant Medicaid cuts in a budget bill.

Andrew Bailey was questioned about his lawsuit against Starbucks that claims diversity hiring initiatives have caused higher prices and longer waits. “I’m just curious if white-served coffee tastes a little bit better,” one Ferguson Democrat asked.

Kehoe said one of his priorities for cutting taxes this year is to exempt capital gains — the profits from sale of investments like a business or stocks. But doing that would reduce Missouri's revenue by about $300 million annually.

Only one budget veto issued by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson faced an attempted override. Lawmakers ultimately left Wednesday without overriding anything.

Missouri’s long-term care ombudsman program organizes workers and volunteers to advocate for and educate residents at the state’s hundreds of nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities. But it has fewer than half the recommended staff members.

With more than 400 line items directed at particular districts or organizations, totaling $2.1 billion, lawmakers have continued to pile extras into spending bills as the state enjoys a near-record surplus

The budget approved by Missouri lawmakers for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is $1 billion less than the current year’s appropriation. It might not cover all the costs of a wide-ranging new education law signed by Gov. Mike Parson.