Last year, the Legislature faced a $500 million shortfall in our state budget. This was after dealing with significant deficits in the previous two years. To weather the economic downturn, we reduced our budget. We made a lot of hard choices to keep our state solvent. It wasn’t always easy, but it was necessary. Missouri isn’t like the federal government. We can only spend what we bring in, which means in hard financial times, we have to adhere to strict fiscal conservatism. Like most Missourians, we had to tighten our belts.

That’s why it’s a welcome change to report that this year’s budget was a marked improvement from the ones in recent past. Our economy is improving, even if it’s not always easy to see. Unemployment is down. Collections are up, 11.2 percent from last year alone. You never want to speak too soon, but it appears we’re finally pulling up from the 2008 downturn.

However, even though we’re running at a surplus from years before, it’s important we continue maintaining budgetary discipline. If there was any benefit to those shortfalls from previous years, it’s that it spurred us to eliminate waste and trim back unnecessary or outdated programs in our government.

This year’s budget for Fiscal Year 2014 totaled around $25 billion, a slight increase from the year before. We actually have more funds then we appropriated, as revenue collections are higher than we predicted. When you craft a budget, though, you have to have a baseline number everyone can agree on; otherwise it’d be near impossible.

Not that it’s easy anyway. There are 197 members in the General Assembly, each representing a district with its own particular funding priorities. It’s a testament to compromise and patience that the Legislature passes a budget at all, much less a balanced one every year without fail.

This year’s spending plan has a number of notable provisions. Funding for the K-12 education foundation formula increased by around $66 million. Higher education also received a boost of about $25 million, based in part on performance benchmarks.

The increased funding represents our continued commitment to supporting education in Missouri. The children we teach today will become the future leaders of the state. We have to equip them with the tools they’ll need to succeed in a quickly changing world. It is the single most important measure we can take to assure a healthy, robust economy and a prosperous state.

The budget includes $10 million to the University of Missouri to create a Springfield clinic campus with Mercy Hospital and CoxHealth. The program should enroll around 30 physicians every year, who will hopefully stay in our area when finished. The final budget also includes $1.3 million to establish an occupational therapy program at Missouri State University.

I was also happy to see a $600,000 increase in funding for the Rural Crimes Unit. As the price of beef has risen, so too has the number of cattle thefts. It’s become a serious problem for livestock owners. The extra funding is a good first step in combating a trend that is hurting an important area of our economy.

Other noteworthy items in the budget include $73.2 million for Missouri’s seven veterans’ homes, an additional $1 million in general revenue funding for the state’s five Regional Autism Projects, and a $1 million increase to the A+ Schools Program.

The budget for FY 2014 will go into effect on July 1, 2013.

If you have any questions or comments about this or any other matter regarding your state government, please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-1503; you are also welcome to e-mail me at jay.wasson@senate.mo.gov.