There are only three weeks left in Missouri’s 2018 legislative session.
Lawmakers are continuing to work on major legislation, including the fiscal year 2019 state budget. But they still have to figure out how much to spend on public schools.
Back in March, the House sent the Senate a budget that included a $98 million spending hike for K-12 institutions. But the Senate this week essentially cut that allocation in half. They approved a $48 million spending increase for classrooms and shifting the rest of it towards school buses and to non-educational budget needs, such as nursing homes.
Republican Dan Brown of Rolla is the lead budget writer for the Senate.
“There may be some difference of opinion,” he told reporters Thursday. “Rep. [Scott] Fitzpatrick and I have had a few conversations, [and] we’re both willing to work really hard to get the best budget that Missouri could imagine, given the dollars we’ve got to work with.”
Lawmakers have two weeks to send the state budget to Governor Eric Greitens.
The House this week gave first-round approval to a bill that would legalize medical use of marijuana, and sent the Senate a wide-ranging bill making several changes to the state’s foster care system.
House and Senate members are also preparing to negotiate a final version of a bill that would create an online map of Missouri that shows where special taxing districts are located around the state. It’s sponsored by Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters.
“The use of digital resources to make big shopping decisions is becoming more and more prevalent,” he said. “If you’re going to buy something at this Best Buy, or the one down the street, you could see a 2 percent difference in your sales tax rate – that could mean a significant amount of money to a taxpayer and could affect their decision-making process.”
So far, 14 bills have been sent to the governor’s desk, including a budget bill that provides funding for state-issued bonds. The 2018 legislative session ends May 18.
Follow Marshall on Twitter:@MarshallGReport
