It has been a busy couple of weeks in the State Capitol. After our brief break from the legislative session due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we returned to Jefferson City last week to finish the final three weeks of the 2020 legislative session. As lawmakers, our only constitutional obligation is to create and pass a balanced state operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Our state’s 2021 spending plan is made up of thirteen appropriations bills that address the funding needs of the state’s departments and programs. I believe our state’s budget represents the priorities of our state, and I am proud of the work accomplished by my peers in constructing and passing the 2021 state budget.
From my perspective, the 2021 state budget highlights the important role education plays in our state. Once again, lawmakers voted to fully fund the state’s education foundation formula for K-12 schools in the 2021 state budget. This formula provides crucial funding for our state’s K-12 schools to pay teachers’ salaries and fund important programs in our schools. There are several factors that determine how much funding each school will receive, including student attendance, local property tax rates, the proportion of students in the district who are disadvantaged or need special education, if the school provides summer school and other factors. It is incredibly important to ensure we fully fund the foundation formula every year. While schools receive funding from other local, state and federal sources, the formula is the main source of funding for many of our state’s K-12 schools. By once again fully funding the state’s foundation formula, I believe we are making a statement that Missouri values education and the important role it plays in preparing our children to help move our state forward.
In addition, I am proud of the work done by my Senate colleagues to restore the proposed cuts to our state’s higher education institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives, and I believe it has certainly had a devastating effect on Missouri’s colleges and universities. In my opinion, now is not the time to cut important state funding to these institutions while they face the unique challenges caused by the COVID-19 virus. As a result, the 2021 state budget funds our state’s higher education institutions at the same level they received in FY 2020. While I certainly wish we could do more, I was proud to see that we were able to keep them at the same level of funding they received last year. As we work to recover from the economic damages caused by the pandemic, I believe our colleges and universities will play an important role in paving the way toward a stronger economy by helping to retrain and retool our workforce.
Also included in the FY 2021 budget is $10 million in federal funding for the University of Missouri’s Center for Precision Medicine. As a part of Mizzou’s School of Medicine, the Center for Precision Medicine hopes to be a leader in improving the quality of patient care through targeted prevention, precise diagnosis and personalized treatments. Research teams at the center are focused on learning more about the genetic causes of heart diseases, cancer, diabetes and pulmonary and neurological disorders. I am excited about the future of the center, and I am proud we were able to secure funding for this important program in the 2021 state budget.
Now that the state budget has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the FY 2021 budget will be sent to the governor’s desk for his consideration. I firmly believe that this budget represents the priorities of our state and ensures that our government remains funded, open and able to serve the citizens of the Show-Me State.