Some Republicans differ with governor in budget process

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The most important thing to understand about the state budget process is that until the final appropriations bills are sent to the governor's desk in the first week of May, it is a work in progress.

The governor in January tells the legislature what he wants, but it's the legislature that ultimately tells the governor what he's going to get.

The proposed $19.2 billion state operating budget Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican, presented to the legislature last month includes $1.1 billion in core cuts and still contains a $239.2 million deficit that he plans to fill through budget withholdings after the start of the fiscal year on July 1.

While many Democrats are critical of Blunt's call for deep reductions in spending on social services and other programs, Republicans, who control both legislative chambers, generally approve of his directive for a leaner and more efficient Missouri government. Differences of opinion between GOP leaders and the chief executive, however, quickly emerged on how to best achieve it.

The most noticeable example relates to Blunt's proposal to eliminate state funding for the First Steps program, which provides special education services to infants and toddlers with severe developmental disabilities. House Budget chairman Brad Lager, R-Maryville, politely shot down that idea.

"A program like First Steps has a very high probability of getting put back in the budget," Lager said.

Blunt later said children who couldn't receive those services through private insurance or Medicaid would still get them through First Steps or some successor program.

Also, House Speaker Pro Tem Carl Bearden, R-St. Charles, said he prefers making any additional cuts during the appropriations process rather than letting the administration make those decisions later when lawmakers wouldn't necessarily have a say.

"We should be working to identify those cuts before we pass the budget," said Bearden, a former House budget chairman.

Blunt conceded there likely will be numerous spending decisions on which he and the legislature disagree.

"I think we're going to have lots of discussions about the budget," Blunt said. "That's why it's called a budget process."

Veterans legislation

Seeking to make Missouri a retirement destination for military veterans, legislation is pending that would exempt military pensions from the state's income tax.

Twenty-two states, including neighboring Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee, already do so, according to the bill's sponsor, state Sen. Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis.

"Missouri is not one of those states that is military retiree friendly," said Coleman, a Sikeston native.

The Senate Pensions, Veterans Affairs and General Laws Committee heard the bill last week and will take action later.

Tax vote

Under the standard set by the Missouri Republican Party, Blunt signed a tax increase into law last week.

During last fall's gubernatorial campaign, the state GOP ran an attack ad that accused State Auditor Claire McCaskill, Blunt's Democratic opponent, of voting for "over a billion dollars in higher taxes" as a legislator in the 1980s. In defense of that distorted claim, the Republican Party cited many of her votes on tax bills that required either statewide or local voter approval to take effect.

The measure Blunt signed gives Poplar Bluff voters the option of approving a half-cent sales tax increase on April 5.

Floor whip

Freshman state Rep. Nathan Cooper of Cape Girardeau has been named a Republican floor whip. In that role, Cooper will assist House Majority Whip Brian Nieves of Washington in rounding up GOP votes on key issues.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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