Senate leaders challenge Gov. Jay Nixon to present a balanced budget
Senate leaders challenge Gov. Jay Nixon to present a balanced budget at his State of the State Address held annually in mid to late January. Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, said Missourians deserve to be presented with a balanced budget plan that does not rely on special legislation to pass in order for the numbers to add up.
“In 2010, I led the difficult appropriations process in order to reduce spending by more than half a billion dollars to make sure the state lived within its means,” said Mayer. “The Senate, in cooperation with the House, took the reins after the governor presented an unbalanced budget and came to us mid-session to share the full and dismal financial reality our state faced. Missourians deserve a governor that will present an honest budget forecast — no matter how unpopular — and to present a budget at his State of the State Address that is balanced. That includes not basing his budget on special legislation that must pass in order for it to be balanced.”[adsenseyu1]
Senate leaders said the Senate’s top priority is to pass a balanced budget without a tax increase.
“The governor has echoed this,” said Mayer, “but has failed time and again to present a balanced budget that doesn’t rely on special legislation in his recommendations during the State of the State Address.”
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, said one of the toughest challenges this year will be to craft a balanced state budget.
“Unfortunately, slow revenue growth, increased mandatory expenses in programs like Medicaid, and the end of more than $400 million in one-time federal stabilization dollars means we could be forced to make further reductions in the upcoming budget for Fiscal Year 2013,” said Schaefer. “We want to know, and taxpayers want to know, how the governor proposes to meet our obligations and priorities while not spending more than the state takes in through general revenue collections.”
Senate Majority Floor Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, said the Senate has taken the lead on examining ways to reduce the size and scope of state government making it more sustainable.
“In this ongoing budget crisis, we must continually look for efficiencies so taxpayers are not burdened,” said Dempsey. “Primarily, this involves fundamental, long-term changes. Quick fixes are usually unrealistic and fall short of the savings they promise. They should not have a place in the governor’s budget plan.”
Senators said some of the past special legislation proposed by the governor to balance his recommended budget include relying on additional federal stimulus dollars, a fund sweep, tax amnesty and tax collection efficiencies. For this coming fiscal year, the governor has announced a plan to use interest-free loans from higher education to pay for higher education.
A date has yet to be set for the State of the State Address. The Fiscal Year 2013 begins July 1.
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