Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin today announced the appointment of Senator Rusty Black as the new chair of the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Brad Hudson will now be serving as the new Vice Chair of the committee.
“Every good business has a succession plan, and the Missouri Senate should be no different,” O’Laughlin said.
“Leadership on the budget requires not only planning expenditures, but being accountable for results. With one-third of our caucus set to term out next year, it is vital to ensure continuity and stability in this critical role. Senator Black is well prepared to step into this responsibility and lead with the diligence Missourians expect.”
O’Laughlin noted that long-term planning was central to her decision.
“It has been my goal to appoint an appropriations chair who can gain valuable experience now and continue that work into the next session. Senator Black brings the right blend of expertise, integrity, and commitment to make certain Missouri remains on a strong fiscal path.”
The Appropriations Chair directs the allocation of the state budget, with decisions made alongside the committee. With the “extra” federal funding sent during the COVID years coming to an end, there will be difficult choices ahead. O’Laughlin emphasized that those who will ultimately carry out and live with those decisions are the senators who will remain in office beyond next year.
Senator Black, who represents Missouri’s 12th Senatorial District, was elected to the Senate in November 2022. He has served on the Senate Appropriations Committee since taking office, most recently as vice chair. From 2017 to 2023, he served in the Missouri House, where he was a member of the Budget Committee and chaired the Subcommittee on Appropriations–Education from 2019 to 2022.
“I am grateful for the confidence placed in me to chair the Appropriations Committee,” Black said. “Managing taxpayer dollars responsibly is the most important duty of the legislature, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure Missouri’s budget reflects our shared priorities and values.”
When finding out about the change, Senator Lincoln Hough gave a statement exclusively to The Missouri Times:
“This was one of the darkest weeks I’ve served during my time in the Senate.
If the votes that I cast this week, votes I believed were in the best interests of my constituents in Springfield, the State of Missouri, and the institution of the Missouri Senate, put me at odds with the President Pro Tem of the Senate and cost me my chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, then so be it. I wouldn’t change any of them.
I’m looking forward to spending my time and energy during my last session on the floor of the Senate working every day to restore this institution to the place of honor I inherited from Senators Richard and Wasson.”
The announcement comes as negotiations on the revenue estimate are to begin later this year.
Jake Kroesen is a Jackson County native and a graduate of the University of Central Missouri. He holds a B.S. in Political Science.
