Legislature Passes Supplemental Budget to Fund COVID-19 Response
JEFFERSON CITY — State Senator Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, returned to the Missouri State Capitol this week to join with his colleagues and pass a supplemental budget bill that includes funding for Missouri’s COVID-19 response. During floor debate in the Senate this week – the first since March 12 – lawmakers donned surgical masks and maintained appropriate social distancing while discussing the $6.2 billion end-of-the-year spending bill.
“If the face masks weren’t enough, the budget items being discussed during this session sent an unmistakable message that the State of Missouri faces unprecedented challenges,” Sen. Luetkemeyer said. “All the usual budget considerations now take a back seat to ensuring that Missouri’s first responders and health care professionals have the resources they need to address the coronavirus pandemic.”
Routine budget items necessary to continue the operation of state government through June 30 were overshadowed by provisions granting the governor authority to spend federal money in the fight against COVID-19. Federal funds account for $5.6 billion of the total supplemental budget passed this week. More than $2 billion is directly related to the coronavirus response.
The federal money will address short-term needs, such as personal protective equipment for health care workers and first responders, as well as funding for additional medical facilities, if needed. The federal COVID-19 relief legislation funds temporary housing for health care workers who are unable to return home and risk transmitting the virus to their own families, and provides assistance to cities and local K-12 schools.
For more information about Sen. Luetkemeyer, visit www.senate.mo.gov/luetkemeyer.