Watching the Dollars
The Missouri General Assembly has one job it must do every year. It is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget. With less than four weeks left in the 2019 legislative session, the Senate dug into the state budget this week and gave initial approval to its versions of 13 budget bills originally drafted by the House of Representatives.
The total budget for Missouri’s state government is approximately $30 billion dollars, with about $7 billion of that paid by individual income taxes. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I was honored to participate in reviewing the 2020 budget. It was an enlightening experience to hear each state agency’s spending requests and weigh in on the hard choices that must be made when limited state resources are allocated to seemingly endless demands.
A significant portion of the state budget is devoted to caring for the sick, disabled and aged citizens of Missouri. Some $13 billion – more than 40 percent of the state budget – will be spent by the departments of Social Services, Health and Senior Services and Mental Health in 2020. Medicaid and health care for children consume the greatest part of that money, much of which is reimbursed by the federal government.
Educating school children accounts for another $6.2 billion of Missouri’s budget. This year, the Legislature is fully funding the formula that finances K-12 education. There is also money for school transportation costs, early childhood education and a myriad of other programs administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Senate is also recommending $1.3 billion for the Department of Higher Education, a 12 percent increase over the previous budget. Much of the added spending will go toward workforce development programs. Each of the state’s four-year colleges and universities will see a $1 million increase in their core budgets if the Senate budget proposals are adopted.
The 2020 budget allocates nearly $3 billion to the Department of Transportation. Included in that figure is a $301 million bonding effort to repair or replace deficient bridges throughout Missouri. The governor originally asked for the authority to issue $350 million in bonds to pay for the bridge work, but the Senate pared back the proposal and shortened the payback schedule to reduce interest costs.
Well over a billion dollars of state money will be spent keeping us safe. The Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Highway Patrol, Fire Marshall and programs to support local law enforcement and fire protection, is budgeted to receive $750 million in 2020. Nearly $800 million will be spent keeping lawbreakers behind bars.
It’s been eye-opening to see how much money our state government spends, but I’m encouraged to see there’s not a lot of fat in the budget. The leaders of each of our state agencies understand they’re spending taxpayers’ money and they all strive to operate efficiently.
By any measure, $30 billion dollars is a lot of money. The good news is that Missouri spends less on state government than most other states. Our state ranks 49th in the nation in government spending per person, according to The National Association of State Budget Directors. Another recent study shows Missouri to have the 36th lowest overall tax burden in the nation.
The 13 budget bills the Senate passed will be reviewed by the House of Representatives. They’ll either accept our alternatives or reject them. The differences will be sorted out by a conference committee. Within the next two weeks we’ll send a final budget to the governor. It’s been interesting to watch the budget take place. I’ve learned a lot, but I come away with the confidence that your elected officials take the stewardship of your money seriously.
It’s my honor to serve as your senator for the 16th District. If you have questions or need any assistance, please call my office at 573-751-5713 or log onto my webpage at https://www.senate.mo.gov/brown for more information.