JEFFERSON CITY — Despite having a more than $1 billion surplus in the state’s general checkbook, Gov. Mike Parson used his veto pen Thursday to slash more than $640 million in spending sought by Missouri lawmakers.
The Republican governor targeted more than three dozen priorities inserted into the $49 billion spending plan by lawmakers who argued in May that the state’s revenue was healthy enough to expand the budget.
Among the cuts were $500 million for tax rebates for Missouri taxpayers, $83 million for a new training facility for state highway patrol officers and $10 million for charter schools to maintain their facilities.
The rebate plan would have sent up to $500 rebates to taxpayers earning up to $150,000 annually, but Parson said the concept was flawed.
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There were smaller projects on the chopping block too, including $4.5 million to build new sidewalks in the Affton School District in south ºüÀêÊÓƵ County.
Democratic Sen. , who represents the district, said he would work to find the money in future budgets.
“I am disappointed these federal dollars will not be used to meet such a clear need in our community,†Beck said in reaction to the veto.
A $1 million earmark for a youth film camp also was bumped out of the spending plan.
Those reductions came as the governor’s budget office reported that net general revenue growth was up a robust 14.9% for the fiscal year, which ended Thursday.
Despite the reductions, Parson signed the bulk of the budget that was sent to him by lawmakers, including money to help boost the pay rate for Missouri’s low-paid teachers.
“We want to thank all of the legislators who helped pass this historic budget that cements our state’s strong financial position and provides tremendous opportunities for Missourians, both today and tomorrow,†Parson said. “Informed by the needs of Missourians all across the state, we have once again passed a balanced and conservative budget that benefits every Missourian.â€
“With record revenues, strong economic performance, and significant sums of Missourians’ federal tax dollars returning to our state, this session we met the moment and approved strategic investments that will serve generations of Missourians,†he added.
Under the plan, teacher salaries would rise to a base level of $38,000 annually from a national low rate of $25,000. The cost: $37 million.
School districts also will get an infusion of $214 million to cover a portion of busing costs, marking the first time in 30 years the state has fully funded its share of the program.
The additional funding for schools is aimed at addressing staffing shortages that have led to almost one-fourth of the state’s school districts going to four-day school weeks.
Big-ticket items like the state’s Medicaid program are fully funded under the plan. The cost to fund the voter-approved expansion of the MO HealthNet program is pegged at $2.5 billion.
Nursing homes will get $200 million as the state increases the rates it pays to the facilities to care for low-income Missourians.
Higher education also scored added dollars for both operating costs and construction projects.
The budget earmarks $100 million to repair and upgrade rural roads as part of a request from Parson. Cities also could tap into a $75 million cost-sharing program for road and bridge construction projects.
The Jefferson County Port Authority would receive $25 million to expand its port, which is being eyed for a container shipping terminal.
Negotiators also budgeted $2.4 million to restore Amtrak service between ºüÀêÊÓƵ and Kansas City to two round trips per day.
The budget also sets aside $49.5 million to pay for a settlement with correctional officers, who successfully sued to force the Department of Corrections to pay overtime costs. The original jury award was more than double that amount.
The spending plan also funnels $500 million to shore up the Missouri State Employees Retirement System.
Missouri’s state-operated nursing homes for military veterans will receive enough funding to fully reopen after spending the last year operating at a limited capacity because of a shortage of nurses and staff.
At the Department of Mental Health, the budget includes more than $16 million for a mental health hotline program similar to the 911 hotline for emergency calls.
One of the few losers in the budgeting process was Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who failed to get $500,000 to hire five attorneys in the solicitor general unit. The decision was a bipartisan rebuke for Schmitt’s aggressive series of lawsuits against school districts over their mask rules.
The budget includes a $3 billion budget for construction projects and other individual initiatives using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
That plan includes $6 million to tear down the dormant Jamestown Mall and another $23 million for a new law enforcement center in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County. Both projects were pushed by Sen. , D-University City.
The University of Missouri-ºüÀêÊÓƵ campus is in line for a makeover. The budget sets aside $40 million in matching funds for a so-called “Campus of the Future†involving multiple new buildings and demolition of old facilities.
Posted at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 30.