General Assembly Approves 2019 State Budget
The Missouri legislature does many things, but its only constitutionally-mandated activity is passing a state operating budget for each fiscal year. Last week, the Senate and House of Representatives gave final approval to the state’s 2019 operating budget. We spent many hours considering this package, weighing the pros and cons of different approaches. I believe this year’s budget is one of the strongest we have put together in recent years.
Because of projected revenue increases for the state, this year’s budget managed to fully fund elementary and secondary education, while keeping appropriations for public colleges and universities level. The budget increases provider rates for in-home health care as well as the daily reimbursement rates for nursing home facilities. We also managed to restore cuts made to the Missouri Rx Program during last year’s budget process.
Altogether, the General Assembly’s budget for the 2019 fiscal year is a clear representation of the priorities of our state: caring for the young, the elderly and other vulnerable populations. We managed to meet many of our goals in appropriating funds, and we did it in a respectful, bipartisan manner, meeting our deadline of May 11 with substantial time to spare.
Now that the legislature has affixed its seal of approval to the budget, the proposal will head to the governor’s desk for his consideration. With the budget taken care of, the Senate and House of Representatives will use the remaining days of the 2018 legislative session to consider a few final pieces of legislation before the session officially ends on May 18.
As always, please feel free to call, email or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.