The Budget Comes to the Senate We have less than a month left in session and an even shorter amount of time to pass the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget goes through a lengthy process, in the form of 12 different bills, to ensure it is balanced and correct for Missouri. Though the budget is first outlined in the governor’s office, the House of Representatives originates the budget bills that will be discussed. Throughout the first half of session, while the House creates these bills, the Senate holds public hearings with all of the offices, departments and agencies in state government, in which they express their funding needs. The House passed their version of the budget for next year, which means the Senate’s work on the actual bills has only just begun. The Senate Appropriations Committee has spent much of the week holding committee hearings and discussing what should be added to, cut from or modified in these bills. Now that the committee has looked through each of the budget bills and passed them they will be sent to the Senate floor to be perfected and passed. If the House does not accept the Senate’s changes, it will go to conference committee hearings, made up of members of both parties, to reconcile any differences between the two forms of the budget. Once they have settled any differences it is finally sent back to both sides of the General Assembly and voted on. The state constitution requires this entire lengthy process be completed by the second to last week of session – May 8. I am enormously proud of the fact that Missouri is required to pass a balanced budget, and that we have accomplished that year in and year out. However, this does not come without difficulty. Much of the discussion revolves around juggling the various priorities of the state while keeping state spending below Missouri’s tax revenue. There are many worthwhile programs that the state funds, but ultimately hard decisions must be made. If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to reach out. My door is always open. Please feel free to contact my office at 573-751-2076. For information about my committee assignments or sponsored legislation, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Bernskoetter. | 