JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers finally moved to send the state’s $26 billion budget to Gov. Jay Nixon’s desk after two weeks of private negotiations, a lengthy conference committee hearing, and battles in the Capitol over managed care expansion.
Late into last night lawmakers diverged away from the lump-sum budgeting proposal that Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, authored for the state departments of Social Services, Mental Health and Health and Senior Services. But conferees chose to move forward with a narrower version of Schaefer’s proposed expansion of managed care.
Under the new expansion, some TANF recipients and children will be eligible for managed care expansion. Aged, blind and disabled populations will not be included.
The expansion of managed care created the biggest speed bump for the much-debated budget in both chambers. In the House, HB 11 only drew 85 votes, narrowly making the 82-vote minimum mark.
Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, led a lengthy fight against the expansion of managed care, and said on the floor he’d be filing a constitutional complaint based on the expansion language. Ultimately, the senate approved the measure with 23 votes in favor, more than enough for a simple majority.
Lawmakers sough to send the budget to Nixon’s desk several weeks ahead of schedule in order to give the Republican-controlled legislature a chance to vote on overriding any line-item vetoes. President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey and Speaker John Diehl will sign the budget before the end of the day. Nixon now has 15 working days to sign or veto the budget under his gubernatorial authority.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
