Hopefuls for governor pledge fewer unfunded mandates

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's top gubernatorial contenders appealed to county officials Monday with promises of more money for housing state prisoners and fewer unfunded mandates from the state.

Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon, Republican Treasurer Sarah Steelman and Republican U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof all held themselves forth as strong advocates for local control as they spoke separately to more than 100 local officials gathered at the capital for a conference of the Missouri Association of Counties.

Among the most persistent complaints from county officials are reduction in state reimbursements for housing prisoners in county jails and a lack of funding for 911 emergency systems that can pinpoint the location of wireless phones.

Faced with a tight budget, the state lawmakers voted in 2002 cut the amount paid to counties for housing state prisoners from $22.50 per person per day to $20 beginning in the 2003 fiscal year.

County officials claimed that violated both the state constitution and a state law.

A constitutional provision commonly called the Hancock Amendment prohibits a reduction in the state-financed proportion of costs for any existing or required county services. A 1996 law requires the state's payment for prisoner costs to be "not less than the amount appropriated in the previous fiscal year."

The legislature increased the prisoner reimbursement rate to $21.25 for the current year and is considering a budget proposal to raise it back to $22.50 for the next fiscal year.

Nixon on Monday proposed a way to channel even more money to counties for housing state prisoners. His plan would direct money already recouped from prisoners to help pay for their incarceration to go to counties instead of the state's general revenue fund. Last year, that would have amounted to $853,508.

Nixon further proposed to amend state law to allow the attorney general's office to recoup money from state prisoners housed in county jails -- not just those in state prisons, as is currently the case.

Without detailing any specifics, Hulshof also pledged to work with counties to increase the prisoner reimbursement rates. Steelman pledged that, if she is elected governor, there would be no reductions from the previous year's funding to counties for housing state prisoners.

Hulshof pledged that, as governor, he would consider vetoing any legislation that would impose new unfunded mandates on local governments. Steelman and Nixon also declared their opposition to state laws imposing new duties on local officials without providing more money to carry out those responsibilities.

Nixon and Hulshof both pledged to designate someone in the governor's office to act as a liaison to local government officials.

Steelman touted various proposals to crack down on illegal immigrants, saying they were costing local governments tax revenue and increasing education, medical and jail costs.

All three candidates stood by their recent pledges not to raise taxes, though Nixon qualified that by stressing the poor economy in response to an audience question asking him to justify that position.

"What I said was very precise," Nixon said. "In these tough economic times with the challenges we have facing us, I do not have any plans or views that we should ask the public for additional revenue."