JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Parson is slated to deliver his final State of the State speech Wednesday, setting up a final push by his administration to seal his legacy as chief executive.
But amid the expected annual calls for more spending on brick-and-mortar projects and job creation programs, Parson will have to navigate a tricky legislative session already roiled by election year politics.
While the Senate is facing the headwinds of gridlock because of a faction of hard-line Republicans who want to cut taxes and limit spending, the House is operating under a speaker who is being investigated by a special committee for ethical lapses.
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Those two potential roadblocks could limit how much the lame-duck governor wants to test his deal-making skills heading into retirement.
Parson spokesman Johnathan Shiflett was tight-lipped Monday about the governor’s plans but said two mainstay subjects of prior speeches will likely be featured in the address.
“I’d expect workforce development and infrastructure to make a debut for Governor Parson’s sixth and final address,†Shiflett said in an email.
After approving a $50 billion spending plan last May, Parson has urged lawmakers to be frugal despite having a massive surplus that could provide a cushion for more spending or tax cutting.
Although the state held an $8 billion surplus at the beginning of the fiscal year, Parson said the state’s fund balance at the end of this year will be closer to $3.1 billion.
A reduction in the state income tax rate for individuals, for example, will cost $589 million this fiscal year.
But spending pressures exist heading into the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, for example, is calling for an estimated $120 million increase to fund the state’s public schools to account for rising per-pupil costs.
Departmental budget requests across other agencies also call for increases to account for inflation in food prices at prisons and mental health facilities.
Parson also is expected to again call on lawmakers to earmark more money to pay state workers in order to boost hiring at agencies like the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Rep. Peter Merideth, D-ºüÀêÊÓƵ, serves as the ranking minority member of the House Budget Committee. He said the surplus gives lawmakers some wiggle room to address longstanding issues.
“There is room for some investment. We need to be responsible in how we invest that,†Merideth said Monday.
One of those investments could be the widening of Interstate 44, said House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage.
After agreeing to spend $2.8 billion to to begin widening Interstate 70 this year, Parson vetoed money for Interstate 44 but has indicated he’d support work on the highway in the next fiscal year.
Smith said that fits with his philosophy of not spending surplus dollars on recurring costs such as health care or education.
“I think the way that we manage the surplus is going to be a very important part of the equation,†Smith said.
Parson also has said he will ask lawmakers for additional money to further regulate the foreign ownership of Missouri farmland.
Earlier this month, Parson issued an banning citizens and companies from countries deemed threatening by the federal government from purchasing farms or other land within 10 miles of staffed military sites in the state.
The federal government lists China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as foreign adversaries.
Other items that could be included in the governor’s spending blueprint include moving the state’s main computing center out of a flood plain of the Missouri River and into an office building on higher ground.
With more than a dozen lawmakers in both chambers seeking higher office, Republicans are again expected to make culture war issues a topic under the Capitol dome.
But Republican Senate President Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, earlier said he does not expect a focus on transgender-related issues in the upper chamber this year.
House Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Patterson also said proposals dealing with drag shows, LGBTQ+ discussions in schools and library books will take a back seat to issues like expanding access to child care.
Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, told reporters last week that he believes Parson will press for approval of a tax credit program for child care providers to help expand availability throughout the state.
“It’s just such a huge issue these days. It affects so many families,†Patterson said. “What we’re seeing is that the cost of child care is so high that it doesn’t make sense for both parents to work, and that parent may want to work.â€
Parson’s speech begins at 3 p.m.