Missouri Senate Passes its Version of FY 2020 Budget

On Wednesday this week, the Missouri Senate passed its version of the FY 2020 state budget totaling over $29 billion. The Senate budget proposal includes pay raises for Missouri state workers, some of the lowest paid state workers in the country. It also includes pay increases for Missouri's corrections officers, many of whom have left Missouri in search of higher wages in surrounding states.  
 
The Missouri House and Senate versions of the bill differ on certain issues, including funding for transportation. The House version seeks to pay for road repairs through $100 million appropriations from state general revenue over the next three years, while the Senate version proposes issuing a $350 million bond for road repairs payable over seven years, contingent upon the federal government awarding Missouri a road repair grant.   
 
The proposed budgets would each prohibit family planning funding going to Planned Parenthood, and each appropriates $6.4 million for the Alternatives to Abortion program, which helps women with unplanned pregnancies obtain needed supplies and services to help them carry their unborn children to term. Approximately one-third of the entire budget, comprised of both state and federal funds, will go to pay for the state Medicaid program which provides health insurance coverage for the needy. The House and Senate must now resolve their differences through conference committees and then each body must approve whatever compromise language those committee members propose. Each body has until next Friday, May 3^rd to truly agree and finally pass the budget.