State budget boosts education, social services

“This is the first budget in three or four years that actually had increases over the previous year,” said David Hale, director of communications for the majority caucus, Missouri State Senate. Fiscal year 2004’s budget was $17.8 billion

The budget for the 2005 Missouri fiscal year, which runs July 1-June 30, 2005, has increased funding for elementary and secondary education purposes by $200 million from last year’s allocation to about $4.75 billion, Hale said.

Higher education increased $20 million from FY 2004’s budget to $1.04 billion, according to Mark Hughes, director of Senate Communications.

The largest area of increase was social services, which rose $660 million over last year to $6.22 billion, Hale added.

Medicaid increases, including nursing home reimbursement rates, pharmaceutical usage, caseload growth and expanded eligibility requirements, as well as inflation and greater utilization, accounted for about $625 million, said Marty Drewel, director of the appropriations committee for the Senate.

The following figures reflect Missouri’s current budget numbers per department and each area’s overall percentage of the FY 2005 budget, according to Mike Asmus, communications officer for Senate Communications.

Missouri’s FY 2005 budget

Elementary and Secondary Education – $4.75 billion (25.19 percent of budget)

Higher Education – $1.04 billion (5.56 percent)

Desegregation Settlement – $15 million (.08 percent)

Employee Benefits – $721 million (3.83 percent)

Economic Development, Labor and Insurance – $449 million (2.38 percent)

Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources – $498 million (2.65 percent)

Judiciary, Public Safety and Corrections – $1.14 billion (6.09 percent)

Health and Mental Health – $1.42 billion (7.54 percent)

Social Services – $6.22 billion (32.99 percent)

Transportation – $1.64 billion (8.71 percent)

All other agencies – $835 million (4.43 percent)

Public debt – $104 million (.55 percent)