State Rep. Dirk Deaton, R-Noel, speaks on the Missouri House floor in May 2022 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).
The first spending bill of the year — almost $2 billion to fund state agencies through June 30 — was approved Thursday by the Missouri House Budget Committee.
The supplemental appropriation bill includes money to make sure public schools receive their full allocation under the foundation formula, $103 million for federally financed summer food programs and funding to eliminate waiting lists for developmental disability and behavioral health services.
The bill, which is moving earlier than some supplemental bills from past years, has a handful of items where money will run out relatively soon. One item is $14 million for area agencies on aging, which will run short of money by the end of the month.
“That probably is as much of a pain point as anything,” said committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel. “I think there’s about $50 million in federal funds that are available they don’t have the authority to spend.”
Dan Haug, state budget director, said the funding for the aging agencies, which provide services like home-delivered meals, transportation and personal services, is the most urgent item in the bill.
“That’s probably the one that we’re most concerned about,” Haug said.
The real spur to early action, Deaton said, is a request from Gov. Mike Kehoe to move the supplemental spending ahead of the budget bills for the coming fiscal year.
“The administration asked, before the State of the State, if it was possible we could get this to his desk by March,” Deaton said.
The supplemental appropriation bill consists of items requested by Kehoe to finish the fiscal year. Lawmakers can cut or refuse to fund items but cannot add new spending.
One item cut is $11.7 million of revenue from marijuana sales intended to support the work of the Office of Public Defender. The money is unanticipated revenue from marijuana sales, which are higher than expected.
The money is not essential for the office to maintain its operations through the end of the year, Deaton said.
“Just because we have it doesn’t mean we necessarily have to spend it,” Detain said. “Exactly what they need this for, what it would be used for, is unclear to me at this time.”
Mary Fox, state public defender, said after the vote that the money would have been used for salaries.
The speed of the committee action pleased state Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, the ranking Democrat on the committee.
“We’re getting our work done in the House and I’m excited to pass the supplemental and fund the programs that help Missourians,” she said.
The quick action pleases the administration, Haug said.
“I feel pretty good about where we are,” he said.
The money to shore up the school foundation formula, $142.4 million, is to pay for increased funding mandated by a major education bill passed last year and to cover a shortfall in lottery revenue. The funding for developmental disability and behavioral health services was cut by $49 million from the $129.8 million request, but that is due to better projections of the need for services by June 30, Deaton said during the committee discussion.
The spending bill could be debated as early as next week in the Missouri House.
The budget for the coming fiscal year will undergo detailed work in several subcommittees next week. The five subcommittees will make recommendations for changes in Kehoe’s $53.7 billion proposal.
Once they report to the full Budget Committee, it will finalize its spending choices. The budget could be debated in the full House as early as the week of March 10, but that would require everything to go as smoothly as possible, Deaton said.
“We’re going to move as fast as we can, while doing a good job,” Deaton said. “Sometimes those things are at odds with each other.”
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