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Assembly In Action: A Weekly Wrap Up of Roads, Ballparks and Money

April 12, 2002
By: Kathryn Handley
State Capital Bureau

JEFFERSON CITY - Money dominated the Missouri Legislature last week -- money for the budget, money for roads, money for stadiums.

BUDGET

Last week:

The House rejected using $53 million from the state's emergency savings account, dubbed the rainy day fund.

Also, the Senate Appropriations Committee worked neared completion on the first-round of its budget process for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Like the House, the Senate committee proposes using general revenue to fund programs such as mental health and social services. These programs were tied to the rainy day fund under the governor's proposal.

The Senate committee plans to meet today to finish discussing the Department of Social Services' budget.

This week:

The committee plans to make its final spending recommendations this week. They hope to vote the budget out of committee no later than Friday. The budget will be presented to the full Senate next week.

TRANSPORTATION

Last week:

On Wednesday, extended discussion by rural Republican senators prevented a vote on a transportation bill. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Morris Westfall of Halfway, a rural Republican himself, would raise Missouri's general sales tax by 3/8 of a cent and would increase the gasoline tax by 6 cents to fund transportation projects. Rural Republican opposition killed a similar transportation bill last year.

This week:

Westfall said he plans to bring the bill up again this week.

STADIUM

Last week:

No action was taken on the stadium bill in the Senate this week. The Senate bill, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, would allow state funding for a baseball stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals and other community development projects in the state.

House Speaker Jim Kreider, D-Nixa, said he wants the Senate to take action on its bill before the House gets involved.

This week:

The bill is on the Senate perfection calendar for Monday, however, it is pretty far down the list. There are 35 bills before the Kinder's stadium proposal, including some controversial issues such as Westfall's transportation proposal.