State Representative Ben Harris District 118 The House Budget Committee on March 12 approved its version of the state operating budget for the 2015 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The committee version authorizes $26.63 billion in total spending, which is more than a $1 billion below the $27.67 billion Governor Jay Nixon had requested. Much of the difference comes from the refusal of Republican committee members to accept federal funding to expand the state’s Medicaid eligibility threshold to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. The expansion is authorized by the federal Affordable Care Act and would extend health care coverage to roughly 300,000 additional Missourians. The House version of the FY 2015 budget also takes an unorthodox approach to funding local public schools. Instead of outright providing the full $278 million funding increase recommended by the governor, the committee guarantees school districts just $122 million. As much as $156 million in additional funding would be provided if certain revenue projections are met. However, that means the additional funding wouldn’t be made available until late in the fiscal year, which presents uncertainty for school districts as they prepare their budgets for the coming school year over the summer. The committee also applied the two-tiered approach to higher education funding. Two-year and four-year institutions would receive a 2 percent increase in the coming fiscal year, with the potential for a total bump of 3 percent if revenue collections prove sufficient. Nixon had recommended a 5 percent increase for four-year institutions and a 4 percent increase for community colleges. Missouri’s 2016 presidential primary would be shifted from February 2 to March 15 under legislation the House of Representatives approved on March 13 by a vote of 97-48. The bill, HB 1902, is prompted by rules adopted by the national Republican and Democratic parties in recent years that prohibit all but certain states from holding presidential primaries or nominating caucuses earlier than March. After Missouri lawmakers failed to enact similar legislation in 2011, the state faced the loss delegates to the 2012 national party convention. The state Democratic Party received a waiver from the national party from the early primary rule and was awarded its full slate of delegates. The state Republican Party opted to ignore the results of Missouri’s 2012 Republican presidential primary and instead held county nominating caucuses that March to award delegates to presidential candidates. HB 1902, which now advances to the Senate, is intended to avoid a repeat of that situation. The House of Representatives on March 13 voted 112-36 in favor of a proposed constitutional amendment that would grant parents the “fundamental right to exercise exclusive control over the care, custody and upbringing of their minor children.” The proposal, HJR 56, would specify that parents have the constitutional right to make decisions involving discipline, education, religious instruction and health care regarding their children. Supporters of HJR 56 say it protects parental rights from unwarranted government interference. Opponents say the measure is fraught with potential unforeseen and unintended consequences that could place child welfare laws at risk. HJR 56 now advances to the Senate. If approved by lawmakers, it would automatically go on the November 4 statewide ballot for voter ratification. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns: Write: Representative Ben Harris, State Capitol, 201 West Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City, Mo 65101 or capitol phone: 573-751-2398 or my district home phone: 636-944-3522, cell phone: 636-221-1798 or email at: [email protected]
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 20:40:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015