A reversal of a House plan to fund higher education and restoration of child care subsidies are some of the changes the Missouri Senate has made to the state operating budget.
Senators on Wednesday approved the 12 budget bills that make up the operating budget. The total of these bills is now roughly $48.8 billion. That's about $1.6 billion less than the House version of those same bills.
The large difference in that reduction is mainly due to the moving of not quite $2 billion in federal dollars to a reappropriation bill that will be considered later.
The operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year is now on its way back to the House, where a conference committee is likely to be asked to work out a compromise.
One of the biggest changes the Senate made to the budget was reversing a new funding model for higher education institutions the House introduced this year that was largely based on enrollment.
Critics of the plan say it created winners and losers among the state's colleges and universities.
Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, spoke sternly against the House's plan.
"It was wrong and it was reckless for those institutions to have to go to their students and the students who are applying to go to their institution, and have to answer the question, 'Are you going to be open next year?'" Nurrenbern said.
That plan gave more funds to some institutions, like the University of Missouri system, which would have seen an additional $20 million.
Meanwhile, other schools saw a cut, including Truman State University, which faced a more than a 50% cut of $27 million.
Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, R-Shelbina, said Truman State, which is in her district, produces some of the best graduates of any university in the state.
"I think they produce critical thinking individuals who are able to go into society and adapt to the ever-changing society that we have, and come out of it successfully," O'Laughlin said.
The Senate also kept over $80 million in funding for disability care programs that the House originally restored. The funding was cut in Gov. Mike Kehoe's version of the budget.
K-12 education still not fully funded
Not included in the budget is money to fully fund the state's K-12 foundation formula. The K-12 budget bill contains around $4.3 billion for the formula.
That's about $190 million short of full funding.
Senate Democrats like Karla May, D-St. Louis, lamented the decision to not change the House's education funding.
"I think that we have a responsibility according to the law, to fully fund our education, and especially for our children," May said. "And when you think about some of the things that we do in the chamber, I think everything else should come secondary to that."
Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, introduced an amendment that would have added the around $190 million required to fully fund the foundation formula this year.
"I'm asking you now with this amendment to make it a priority this year, the last year that I'm in the Senate, that we tell those kids and we tell those teachers, and we tell those parents that we've got your back. And I would ask that you support me on this," Hough said.
Hough also argued that the state has enough money in its coffers for that spending for this fiscal year.
Senate Appropriations Chair Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, contended it was wiser to not allocate that additional $190 million.
"It's not a guarantee that I'll be back here next year, but hopefully I'm back here and looking at those decisions that we previously talked about, I believe it'd be better for the body not to support this," Black said.
A majority of senators voted down the amendment.
An area of education funding that the Senate did increase is transportation money - by around $15 million. That one-time extra funding is coming from the Missouri State Capitol Commission Capitol Preservation Fund.
The Senate also restored roughly $51 million in child care subsidies that the House cut from Kehoe's proposal.
Black said the Senate ended up creating a hybrid method that mostly paid those subsidies on enrollment rather than attendance.
"If a child does miss, I think the days are 10 days, then there will be a reduction, and there'll be slight reduction overall, the Office of Childhood will come up with the math around that to make a slight reduction," Black said.
The Senate must still consider four more budget bills, including legislation that funds long-term projects.
The deadline for the budget to be completed is May 8.
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