Governor Parson Announces $176 Million in Spending Cuts for FY 2020

This week, Governor Mike Parson announced $176 million in spending cuts for the remainder of FY 2020, which ends June 30, as a result of revenue shortfalls. In his press release announcing the cuts, he indicated that revenues had fallen off due to business closures brought on by COVID-19. He also indicated other cuts may be necessary in coming months, but that he hoped he could plug some of the shortfalls with federal dollars being made available from the recently passed stimulus bill.  

The cuts come primarily from higher education ($11 million from community colleges, and $61 million from public four-year colleges and universities). Other cuts are being made to facilities maintenance, tourism, the Department of Economic Development and workforce development budgets in order to balance the budget for the current year. The budget line items being trimmed can be found on the Office of Administration website.