GOP seeking voter support for budget

As the legislative session enters its final week, Missouri's Republican leaders have set out to garner constituent support for the $19 billion, no-new-tax budget approved by the legislature last week.

"I think people believe the government has enough of their money," said House Majority Floor Leader Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau. "It's time we learn to live within our means, which is what this budget did."

Crowell and House Speaker Pro Tem Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, visited Cape Girardeau on Sunday as part of a statewide Republican-led effort to gain support for the plan, which Democratic Gov. Bob Holden previously threatened to veto at least a portion of.

"It's hard to predict what the governor will do," Jetton said. "He's been saying he's going to veto the entire budget, but he hasn't even seen the thing yet to know what we've done."

The budget will receive final authorization from Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, and House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, R-Warson Woods, after the legislative adjournment Friday.

The proposal will then go before Holden, who will have several weeks to review it before deciding whether to approve the budget or veto all or part of it.

The $19 billion budget is within 1.7 percent of Holden's original recommendation, includes more than $400 million in new revenue and statutory savings and is $51 million more than last year's budget.

"We started out with very different opinions, but the most important thing is that the Republicans and Democrats came together in both chambers to create a bipartisan budget," Jetton said.

The coming week's efforts will focus on passing bills to raise the estimated $200 million needed to balance the proposed budget.

Crowell said local projects such as the Marquette Hotel renovation and the River Campus are in no danger of losing funding under the current plan. However, Missouri's 524 school districts face a $163 million reduction in basic state aid, and colleges and universities will lose $52 million.

For most public schools, Crowell expects the loss of revenue to be offset with reserve funds and decreased mandates.

"I don't think we're compromising the quality of or access to education," Crowell said. "Education still gets the biggest portion of the budget -- 30 percent this year."

cclark@semissourian.com

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