When Missouri lawmakers convene on Wednesday for their annual veto session, they have the option of overturning a plethora of budgetary vetoes issued by Gov. Mike Parson.
Parson cut roughly $555 million from the latest state budget, surprising and irritating some lawmakers in both parties.
Rep. Paula Brown, D-Hazelwood, said she doesn’t agree with Parson’s reasoning on why he vetoed that much in funding, especially since the state still has billions remaining in general revenue.
“I would agree with the governor if he said you can't build raises or ongoing spending on some of this one-time money, right, because you can't,” Brown said. “But there are things that can be done right now with that money that would help every citizen in the state of Missouri.”
Brown was a guest on Politically Speaking. Here are some of the other topics she discussed:
- Her background in education and what led her to run for the Missouri House.
- Whether there should be state legal action on the fallout over nuclear waste contamination in St. Louis and St. Charles counties.
- The education policies she believes will reemerge in the 2024 legislative session.
- What the upcoming session is going to look like, especially during an election year.
- Her thoughts on the 2024 election, including the races for governor and U.S. Senate.
Brown represents the 87th District, which includes Maryland Heights and a section of Chesterfield.
Before becoming a lawmaker, Brown spent 31 years as an educator in the Hazelwood school district. She served both as a classroom teacher and a middle school librarian. Brown also was the Hazelwood NEA president for eight years.
