Missouri State Budget Director Linda Luebbering yesterday filed three amendments to Gov. Jay Nixon's recommended fiscal 2013 budget.
The amendments add $68 million to fund programs for blind Missourians, the state's military bases and health care, according to a news release from the Office of Administration.
The first amendment adds $18 million to the budget, $17.75 million of which would be used to assist the Senate with restoring health care services for roughly 2,800 blind citizens in need. The extra funding became available because of additional Medicaid earnings.
Utilizing the remaining $250,000, the second amendment would analyze the military bases in Missouri and their impact on the nation's military readiness and economy, the release said.
The third amendment, which would utilize available federal funding, would use $50 million to install a more efficient computer-driven enrollment system for state health care programs.
In a separate news release, Nixon said he would continue to work to balance the budget, and he pointed to the importance of making funding available for programs that serve blind individuals in need.
"We will live within our means to keep the state’s fiscal house in order and to protect vital priorities, such as providing health care for needy blind Missourians," Nixon said in the release. "This is the right thing to do, and I look forward to working with the Senate to fully restore this critical program.”
During the State of the State address, Nixon proposed an operating budget of $22.98 billion. In early February, an extra $40 million became available to the state's general revenue fund as part of a multistate settlement with Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Ally Financial. Nixon pledged to utilize the funding in the budget to benefit four-year higher education institutions. During a late February visit to Nixa High School, Nixon announced an additional $5 million being made available for K-12 schools and higher education institutions, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
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