By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Missouri lawmakers have returned to the state Capitol in Jefferson City, a Capitol which is much quieter than usual due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of Parkville says lawmakers need to meet to authorize Governor Mike Parson to shift $180 million in withholdings to the fight against the coronavirus.
“So, the governor needs authorization from the legislature in order to move that money and spend it elsewhere,” Luetkemeyer tells St. Joseph Post.
Also, Missouri expects to receive roughly $2.2 billion in federal money from the emergency relief package passed by Congress.
“In order for the governor to spend that money it must first be appropriated by the legislature and so that’s why it’s so important and so critical that we got in here fast is because the governor doesn’t have authority absent action of the legislature to actually spend this money,” Luetkemeyer says.
Luetkemeyer says the legislature needs to act quickly on the $5.8 billion supplemental budget, so Missouri can afford critical medical needs in the fight against COVID-19.
The $180 million in withholdings has created financial uncertainty for many state agencies and hits Missouri colleges and universities particularly hard.
Luetkemeyer, though, expects federal help to offset much of the withheld funds.
“Like most Missouri families, we’re going to have to tighten our belts here at the state level, because unlike the feds, we don’t, we can’t, deficit spend, which is a good thing,” Luetkemeyer says. “But we’re going to have to make some tough budgetary decisions. But I do believe in a short term that a lot of the withholds that we saw from the governor are going to be backfilled with a lot of the federal dollars that are going to be coming in.”
Luetkemeyer says Missouri needs the help Congress is providing through the COVID-19 relief package.
“So, if you look at some of the largest line items in Missouri’s budget, you’re talking about primary education, you’re talking about higher education, you’re talking about funding for Medicaid,” Luetkemeyer says. “Already we’re starting to see large sums of money coming from the federal government to help in some of those critical areas with the state’s budget.”
Luetkemeyer says the state expects about $1 billion in federal money to pay for the eventual re-opening of public schools, as well as $350 million for the state’s colleges and another $350 million for the Missouri Medicaid program.
It is almost an eerie atmosphere at the Capitol in Jefferson City.
Few staff members are in attendance. The public has been discouraged from coming to the Capitol for debate and, instead, is being encouraged to watch debate which is being screened on the legislature’s webpage. Senators will vote in blocks of six to maintain social distancing.
Any one entering the Capitol is being checked for symptoms of COVID-19.