Republicans Set to Ramp Up State Spending

Despite plenty of talk about budget cuts once again during this session, state lawmakers are on track to approve an increase in total spending.

The constitutional deadline for lawmakers in the Missouri General Assembly to approve a budget for next fiscal year lands next week on Friday.

Lawmakers in the state legislature, controlled by Republicans, may shave a few million dollars or add a few more million dollars before handing the budget to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat.

In the end, the budget plan is likely to end around $1 billion higher than proposed by the governor or more than $800 million more than lawmakers appropriated for this fiscal year, ending June 30.

The Missouri Senate increased the budget for fiscal 2013 by $20.8 million last week to $24.1 billion compared to the version approved by lawmakers in the Missouri House in March.

The governor's plan to spend $23 billion next fiscal year, first outlined in January and followed with several amendments, would have cut year-over-year state expenditures by around 1 percent.

If the $24.1 billion plan being negotiated by lawmakers is approved, year-over-year spending would increase by 3.5 percent compared to the $23.3 billion appropriated for the current fiscal year.

Spending will increase almost 5 percent this fiscal year if all of the appropriations are spent.

As analysis of state expenditures by Missouri Journal shows, spending rarely falls year-over year.

Throughout the last 30 years, total expenditures have dropped year-over-year only three times, while total spending has increased 468 percent from $3.9 billion in 1981 to $22.2 billion during 2011.

By Brian R. Hook, brhook@missourijournal.com, (314) 482-7944

Hook is editor of Missouri Journal, which tracks the economy across the Show-Me State. 

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