A top Missouri lawmaker wants to trim $700 million from next year's state budget.
Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith on Monday moved to make the cuts to the governor's original $30 billion spending plan. Republican Gov. Mike Parson drafted his budget recommendations before the coronavirus started wreaking havoc on the state's economy.
Lawmakers have been off work for weeks over concerns about spreading the virus. But they came back to try to pass a tightened budget before their May 8 deadline. The full House still needs to approve Smith's proposal before the budget can head to the Senate.
