State lawmakers return from their spring break today, and the Missouri House is preparing to consider a proposed state budget that partly ties education funding to the strength of the economy.
House Majority Leader John Diehl says debate will begin this week on the budget for the next fiscal year. The plan endorsed by the House Budget Committee would add $122 million to the state's $3 billion in basic school funding. But if state revenues meet more optimistic projections, then it would provide a $278 million increase for schools.
The House plan would also bar universities from offering resident tuition rates to students living in the U.S. illegally.
The Republican-led committee rejected Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's proposal to expand Medicaid eligibility to more lower-income adults. But its plan would restore adult dental coverage that was previously cut from Medicaid.
Missouri House Republican leaders are also vowing to consider legislation known to supporters as "right to work." The bill that would prohibit labor contracts from requiring that all employees pay union fees and was named a top priority by the Republican speaker.
