Missouri Governor Parson vetoes $1 billion in projects from the state budget

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday vetoed $1 billion in spending from next year’s budget, which includes spending on education, transportation projects and renovations to the state Capitol.

That total is nearly double the funding Parson cut last year. In all, 173 items were cut from the $51.7 billion budget lawmakers passed in May. The next fiscal year begins Monday.

“Using the veto pen is not something I like to do, but today these vetoes stand as a symbol of eliminating unnecessary hobby projects and protecting taxpayer dollars,” Parson said.

Lawmakers passed a $51.7 billion budget in May, narrowly meeting the necessary deadline.

The governor’s office cited four major factors that led to vetoes for this budget:

An omnibus education bill passed and signed this year is expected to cost the state $400 million more annually if fully implemented.

Necessary increases in public school funding.

The Legislature spent $300 million more in general revenue than Parson requested.

The Legislature has appropriated too much money from state Budget Stabilization Funds, money the federal government makes available to help states during the pandemic.

Education

Parson frequently cited the education bill in his veto of budget proposals for K-12 education, higher education, and other matters.

The cuts include $10 million for the state’s “Close the Gap” grant program and $5 million for the University of Missouri Agricultural Extension Service.

Transport

Parson has cut millions of dollars from transportation, including two major interstate projects.

Among them, the governor vetoed $3.4 million for an environmental study on the impact of expanding Interstate 70 to three lanes in each direction.

In his veto letter on that topic, Parson said the General Assembly is “grossly overstretching the budget stabilization funds” and that the state is already “investing $2.8 billion in improvements to Interstate 70.”

Parson also issued one of the largest vetoes of an I-44 improvement fund, cutting $150 million. The total left for this specific item is $214 million, which would pay for a number of I-44 improvement projects while still saving some money for the next administration and Legislature, Parson said in his veto letter.

The governor’s office said in a statement that the budget includes “$577.5 million to clear the way for the expansion of I-44, from St. Louis to Joplin.” That expansion could include more lanes.

Securing the US Southern Border

Also, $6 million for the Missouri National Guard for southern border security has been vetoed from this year’s budget. Parson reduced the allocation to $2 million.

The governor said in May that he planned to block the funding because his office had not requested it. “We don’t need that money. I think that was more of a political statement that people were trying to make, to say we support that,” Parson said.

Parson also said in his veto letter that his executive order sending Missouri National Guard Troops and Missouri Highway Patrol troopers to the Texas-Mexico border has been finalized.

Renovation of the Capitol

The largest veto in this year’s budget is a $497 million transfer for the State Capitol Commission Fund, which is used to preserve and repair the Capitol. That particular veto makes up almost half of the total dollars Parson cut from the budget.

Parson said that without a detailed plan for the next round of renovations at the Missouri State Capitol, a full transfer of those dollars was unnecessary.

Other cuts

More than a fifth of all vetoes involved projects funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Some of those vetoes included $8 million for a police training facility in O’Fallon, $11 million for a redevelopment project in Cape Girardeau and $15 million from the South Loop Project in Kansas City.

Parson said in May, before he saw the final budget passed by the Legislature, that he believed the process this session had been rushed and lacked transparency.

He also said earlier this month that he believes the state will have to pass a major supplemental budget bill during the next governor’s administration.

“I’m not going to force them to just walk into an office and not get funding,” Parsons said.