JEFFERSON CITY—State Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, joined fellow lawmakers in conference committee this week to finish crafting the state’s $25 billion budget. Members from both chambers met on Tuesday, May 7, to hash out the differences between the two versions of the state spending plan.

The committee plans to vote out this week the 13 bills that make up the budget, sending them first to the House for approval, and, once passed, to the Senate for a final vote before going to the governor.

Shown above, Sen. Walsh, far left, sits in the conference committee hearing on the FY 2014 budget on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.

Senator Walsh was one of eight legislators who sat on the conference committee, which is made up of three members from the House and five from the Senate.

Senator Walsh, who also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, described working with her colleagues on the budget as a challenging but positive experience.

“There will always be differences between members on how and what we fund in state government,” said Sen. Walsh. “The important thing, though, is that both sides are open to compromise in the interest of doing what’s best for our state, which is what I saw while working with my colleagues. I was honored to be a part of the committee, and proud of the work we accomplished.”

The conference committee’s budget includes around a $65.8 million increase to the K-12 education foundation formula, as well as a $25 million increase to higher education.

Specific to the 13th District, the spending plan includes $16 million of state funding for the Bellefontaine Habilitation Center in North St. Louis County, a slight increase from the center’s FY 2013 budget of $15.8 million.

“I’m extremely happy to report the Bellefontaine Habilitation Center received a funding increase this year,” said Sen. Walsh. “The center provides critical care to our most vulnerable citizens. This funding will help them continue providing these valuable services to Missourians in our area.”

Additionally, the FY 2014 budget proposal includes a total of $76 million for the state’s seven veterans’ homes, a $2.2 million increase from the previous fiscal year which includes the St. Louis Veterans’ Home in North St. Louis County.

Critically important nursing staff at the veterans’ homes are slated to receive a 2 percent raise with a 4 to 6 percent raise for certain nurses, on top of the across-the-board $500 raise for all state workers included in the budget.

During the conference committee, members agreed to restore funding to the Division of Labor Standards for the investigation of prevailing wage and child labor infractions.  Investigators with the department protect middle class and working families from illegal work practices. In previous versions of the budget, funding for the investigators that enforce Missouri’s labor laws were cut.

Senator Walsh said her only real disappointment with the budget proposal was the lack of Medicaid expansion funding, which would have provided almost $1 billion in federal dollars in FY 2014 to provide health care to hundreds of thousands of working families.

“I think we’re going to look back and realize we missed an incredible opportunity to do a lot of good for the working poor of our state,” said Sen. Walsh. “Hopefully during the interim, both sides can sit down and find a way to make Medicaid expansion work in Missouri. It would be a tragedy if we let pass a chance to provide health care to 300,000 Missourians because of politics. The General Assembly has looked past its differences before to do what’s right for the state. I can only hope we do that again.”

The Legislature has until 6 p.m. on Friday, May 10, to pass a final version of the state budget.

For more information on Sen. Walsh’s legislative duties, visit her Missouri Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/walsh.