State Budget Bills Filed In Mo. House; Medicaid Expansion Left Out

The 13 bills that make up the state budget have been filed in the Missouri House, and they don’t include Governor Jay Nixon’s (D) proposed Medicaid expansion.

That part of the Governor’s budget proposal would have drawn down $908 million in federal funds for Fiscal Year 2014, which begins July 1st. House Budget Chair Rick Stream (R, Kirkwood) says as a result, the Governor’s projected $46 million in savings is also being removed from the budget.

“We’ve spread it out over different areas," Stream told reporters today. "I can’t make any promises of where it will eventually end up, (but) there’s some money in the preschool program.”

Stream says he’s sticking with the Governor’s proposed budget for Missouri’s K-12 schools, while he wants to spend $14 million less on Higher Education. The House version of next year’s budget also makes room for the Governor’s tax amnesty proposal. Missouri lawmakers have until May 10th, one week before the 2013 session ends, to pass the state budget.

http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/post/state-budget-bills-filed-mo-house-medicaid-expansion-left-out