Gov. Jay Nixon yesterday announced he would release $143.6 million of some $1 billion he withheld from the state's fiscal 2015 budget as the General Assembly's veto session approached.
The released funding is for school districts and higher education institutions, which had expressed disappointment when the governor withheld the funds this summer. Among those was Missouri State University President Clif Smart, who in June said the withholdings meant the school would lose out on $4 million of appropriations, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
The education funding originally was withheld to oppose a series of tax break bills - for items such as manufactured homes, data processing centers and dry cleaners - passed near the end of the spring session. Nixon said the funds were released because of the General Assembly's decision to sustain his vetoes on all but two of the tax break bills.
“Presented with a clear choice between supporting local schools and siding with special interests, the General Assembly (on Sept. 10) stood with us and made the right decision to invest in the best economic development tool there is: public education,” Nixon said in a news release. “The resources I’m announcing (on Sept. 11) are possible because legislators of both parties came together and agreed that it’s time invest in our schools.”
The funds released by Nixon yesterday include $100.2 million for K-12 schools and $43.4 million for public colleges and universities.
Nixon is reviewing the budget to determine whether there's sufficient revenue to release the other funds he restricted this summer, according to the release.
Mount Vernon centerMissouri Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, said a politically motivated fillibuster effectively prevented an override vote on the governor's veto of nearly $5.2 million for the Missouri Rehabilitation Center in Mount Vernon.
According to a news release, Senate Democrats on Wednesday staged a late-night filibuster on a bill to extend the waiting period for abortions in Missouri to 72 hours.
“I am disappointed minority members in the Senate put politics before good policy and prevented a vote on the Missouri Rehabilitation Center’s budget,” Sater said in the release. “MRC is so important to the local economy in Mount Vernon and to its hundreds of hard-working employees, many who have dedicated their entire career to caring for the patients and veterans there.”
The hospital - Mount Vernon's largest employer - is slated to close effective Oct. 31, ending the employment of 323 people. This year, the governor cut MRC’s $10.4 million appropriation to $5.2 million ahead of September’s veto session.
Despite the outcome in the Senate, Sater encourages a delay in closing the facility for officials to find a solution.
Line-item vetoesLawmakers this week voted to override Nixon's veto of more than 50 line items in the state budget.
This includes $900,000 for the Missouri Works job-training program, according to a Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry news release.
The General Assembly also supported the veto override of Senate Bill 829, legislation that would presume taxpayers as innocent when the Missouri Department of Revenue brings them into court for a tax dispute.[[In-content Ad]]
