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NewsBook: Missouri Government News for Month of June 2003

 

. Missouri's governor gives in on his budget fight. (06/27/03)
JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Bob Holden announced Friday that he will sign the legisalture's approach to the education budget.

The governor's announcement came at the same time the Senate was sending him identical copies of the budgets he had vetoed last week and had called unacceptable.

If Holden had vetoed the latest set of bills, it would have shut off funding for education and higher education on July 1, when the new budget year starts. It also would have triggered lawsuits since Missouri's constitution requires the state to provide funding for local schools.

Holden said he would call lawmakers into a special session in September to consider raising taxes. And if that failed, the governor said he would consider supporting a petitition campaign to put a tax-increase package on the statewide ballot.

. Missouri's governor gives in on the budget standoff. (06/27/03)
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri's governor says he will sign identical versions of the education budgets he had vetoed the week before.

At a conference with education leaders, Bob Holden announced that he would sign education spending plans that he had called unacceptable just days earlier.

Holden's announcement came as the Missouri Senate rejected his idea of a three-month budget for higher education.

If Holden does not sign the education and higher education appropriations by the start of the state's budget year on Tuesday, he faced a likely lawsuit based on a constitutional requirement that at least 25% of state revenue be used for public schools.

. Senate expected to take final vote on education budget bills on Friday (06/26/2003)

JEFFERSON CITY - The senate budget commitee passed out education bills identical to those the Governor already vetoed.

Governor Holden will not specualte about the possibility of another veto.

Get the radio story.

. House ignores Governor's request for 90-day appropriation and passes full year education budget (06/25/2003)

JEFFERSON CITY - Without debate or amendment, the House disregarded the governor's order that sought to limit lawmakers to passing a 3 month budget.

The House approved a full-year budget, identical to what the Governor vetoed last week.

The Republican House Speaker charged the Governor's effort to limit the legislature to a 90-day budget violated constitutional section requiring a full budget for education.

. Missouri's House approves an identical copy of the education budgets vetoed by the governor. (06/25/03)
JEFFERSON CITY - By near party-line votes, Missouri's House passed and sent to the Senate versions of the education and higher education budgets that are identical to what the governor had vetoed last week.

The House ignored the governor's message of last week that sought to limit the legislature to a three-month budget for education. The House speaker called the governor's effort unconstitutional.

House Republicans blocked any debate on the budget, passing a motion that prevented Democrats from speaking or offering amendments.

  • Get the education budget rollcall.
  • Get the higher education budget rollcall.
    . State education leaders say the Govenor's vetoes have led to devastating uncertainty for schools (06/24/2003)

    JEFFERSON CITY - One education leader says it's frustrating that administrators are without a budget for a school year that is 6-8 weeks away.

    Get the radio story.

    . Governor Holden says he will veto the education budgets for the second time (16/18/2003)

    JEFFERSON CITY - The Governor says the budget is out of balance and will result in cuts to education that are too steep. He requested that lawmakers pass a 90-day education budget and return to another special session in the fall to reconsider tax increases.

    Republican legislative leadership immediately refused the request and called on the Governor to sign the budgets.

    Get the radio story.

    . Governor Holden makes another effort to get Republican support for tax increases (06/16/2003)

    JEFFERSON CITY - Holden met with House Republicans for more than 30 minutes behind closed doors. He says it was an effort to educate lawmakers about spending cuts.

    Holden has said he would settle for a tax increase that is smaller than the one he initially proposed. But House speaker Catherine Hanaway says it would still be the largest in the state's history.

    Get the radio story.

    . Missouri's House rejects the governor's proposal to boost the budget with tax hikes. (06/06/03)
    JEFFERSON CITY - By near party-line votes, Missouri's House approved budgets for education, health and welfare that do not include new monies from tax increases.

    The revised budget does use extra federal funds to boost funding for education. It also would eliminate about 500 jobs in health, mental health and welfare to expand service spending.

    The House vote came after the governor addressed lawmakers urging a package of tax increases of about $700 million.

  • Get the radio story
    . Missouri's House Budget Committee approves a no-tax-increase budget. (06/04/03)
    JEFFERSON CITY - The House Budget Committee added more than $70 million in federal funds for education, but made few other spending increases to budget bills it sent to the full House.

    Instead, the committee voted to cut administrative costs in health, mental health and welfare to provide more funds for program services.

    Absent from the committee-approved bills is money from any of the tax increases proposed by the governor. In fact, the budgets for health, mental health and welfare actually are lower than the budgets the governor had vetoed.

    Gov. Bob Holden is scheduled to address lawmakers on Thursday, the same day the House is scheduled to vote on the Budget Committee spending plans.

    . Educators plead with the House budget committee to consider tax increase proposals over budget cuts (06/03/2003)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Dr. Daryl Swaford of the Missouri PTA says he believes voters will "rise to the occasion" in support of tax increases over cuts to edcuation. Joplin Republican Bryan Stevenson disagreed, saying even school board members in his district are opposed to tax increases to spare cuts to education.

    Get the radio story.

    . Holden says he thinks top lawmakers will consider tax increases during special session (05/30/2003)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Governor Holden says now that legislative leaders are back in their districts and can hear about the impact of budget cuts firsthand, they might be more receptive to tax increases.

    But House and Senate leadership say that's not the case, and Holden's ad campaign urging voters to call lawmakers in support of tax increases is not working.

    Get the radio story.

    . The Missouri legislative session begins June 2. (05/23/03)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Bob Holden announced Friday that he will make June 2 the starting day for the legislature's special session.

    Holden said he would veto no further budget bills other than those he announced earlier -- for education, higher education, health, mental health and welfare.

    The governor said he would include plans for raising taxes and revenues to finance the extra spending he wants lawmakers to approve, but was not prepared to release his specific recommendations.

    . House Speaker Catherine Hanaway says Governor Holden has failed to lead the state (05/21/2003)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Hanaway says by vetoing 3 budget bills, Holden is putting the burden of balancing the state budget on taxpayers.

    Governor Holden's decision to veto the mental health, higher education and social services budget makes him the first governor in the state's recorded history to veto three budget bills.

    Get the radio story.

    . Columbia legislators react to this year's session (05/20/03)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Columbia lawmakers, all of whom are Democrats, found themselves playing new roles in this year's Republican controlled legislature.
    . Holden to veto mental health budget and call special session (05/19/2003)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Governor Holden said the mental health budget proposed by the legislature does not reflect his values and denies vital services to thousands of mentally and physically disabled people.

    Get the radio story.