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March 22, 2002 A Break in the Budget Storm The storm clouds are clearing and the seas aren’t quite as rocky. It appears that, at last, we may have a break in the storm. At the beginning of the legislative session, I characterized the 2002 session of the Missouri General Assembly as “the perfect storm†-- that is, a number of seemingly random elements, harmless by themselves, coming together to create an event of enormous proportions. A tight state budget, term limits kicking in, an election year, legislative redistricting -- as predicted, all of these things have combined to make this a particularly contentious session. Yet here we are now, at the halfway mark of the legislative session, and the House has been able to accomplish great things in spite of the clashing elements. The House approved unanimously a bill removing all statutes of limitations on rape, a measure the governor has already signed into law. We have also approved bills to improve education standards in under-achieving schools, and a proposal to make it easier to remove potentially dangerous teachers from the classroom. At the same time, House members have passed bills aimed at protecting our private medical and financial information, and voted to close corporate loopholes that allowed big retailers to keep sales taxes after overcharging their customers. And I am pleased that we were able to fund a program enacted during last year’s Special Session to provide prescription drug coverage to low-income senior citizens The biggest break in the storm came just last week, when members of the House Budget Committee voted out a complete, balanced state budget that fulfills our promise of fully funding elementary and secondary education in our state. After putting in long hours and combing over countless programs in every state department, our budget team identified a billion dollars in cuts across every department in state government. As soon as the legislature returns on April 2, our first order of business will be to debate the proposed budget on the floor of the House, and it goes without saying that there will be differences of opinion on the width and depth of these cuts. Hard decisions had to be made in an effort to keep our fiscal house in order, and we will have to maintain our resolve if we are to get through this budget crisis and finish the people’s business. I consider it a positive sign -- a sign that a majority of the House members realize we are facing a dire situation, and are willing to do whatever is necessary to reach a responsible solution. The storm is far from passed, but there is a break in the clouds and the sun is rising on the horizon -- and there’s still a lot of open sea to navigate. But with a budget completed and still half a session ahead, I am confident that when the gavel falls for the final time in 2002 we will have an impressive list of accomplishments beneficial to the working families of Missouri. | |||||
Paid for by Kreider for Senator.
Bobby Neal Jr., Treasurer. Not at taxpayer's expense.
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