A Tough Balancing Act
This week, the General Assembly considered 13 appropriations bills that outline state spending for the coming year. The budget process begins in the House of Representatives, but the Senate presents its own versions of each budget bill. As this report is being prepared, a conference committee is set to begin reconciling the differences between the House and Senate budgets. The final budget will need to be approved by both chambers before being sent to the governor for his signature. The deadline for passing the budget is 6 p.m., Friday, May 8.
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I was involved in the daunting task of crafting this year’s balanced budget. The economic slowdown caused by COVID-19 has resulted in a $700 million shortfall in general revenues, compared to projections made earlier this year. Much of the committee’s work involved allocating money received through federal coronavirus relief programs to address the shortfall in state funding. In the end, the approximately $35 billion budget we’ll send to the governor’s desk will be about $5 billion larger than what he called for during his State of the State address in January. The dramatic increase includes spending on relief efforts never imagined prior to the pandemic and will be funded entirely with your federal tax dollars. In fact, more than 42 percent of Missouri’s spending next year will come from Washington, D.C. Typically, about one third of Missouri’s budget depends on your federal tax dollars.
The Fiscal Year 2021 budget fully funds K-12 education and maintains social service programs for low-income and disabled Missourians. Where possible, we identified budget savings that had minimal impact on essential services and looked for areas where money was budgeted, but not being spent. Continuing a hunt for savings I began in past sessions, I identified a number of “full time equivalency” positions within various departments that had not been filled in some time. I see no reason to budget for jobs that have sat empty for months, or even years.
LEGISLATION ADVANCES
The Senate passed and sent to the House my Senate Bill 704. This legislation began as a relatively simple bill that streamlined filing requirements for partnerships. By the time the bill was passed out of the Senate it had grown in scope and reach. Some of the amendments to this bill authorize smaller communities to put local taxes before their voters. None of those provisions apply to any community within the 21st Senatorial District. A few provisions of the bill do apply statewide, however. Property owners will have at least 30 days to appeal an assessment increase, thanks to one section of this bill. Another provision of SB 704 exempts the $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks many Missourians received from state income taxes. The money, provided as part of the CARES Act, was already free from federal taxes. This bill shields it from the tax collectors in Jefferson City.
EDUCATION ON THE AIR
Parents looking for ways to keep children engaged over the summer, or those who want to prepare elementary school students for the resumption of classes in the fall, will want to take note of a free service provided by KMOS-TV and the University of Central Missouri. Beginning June 1, the station will broadcast summer school classes from 9 a.m. until noon each Monday through Thursday. Courses will be offered in math, science, social studies and reading. The broadcasts will be available through local cable and satellite providers, or over the airwaves using a UHF antenna.
As always, I appreciate hearing your comments, opinions and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at (573) 751-4302. You may also email me at denny.hoskins@senate.mo.gov.