Spring Break Begins With Little Progress In Budget Battle

Leaders in the Missouri House acknowledge they missed a traditional deadline, but insist they aren’t in danger of missing the ultimate budget deadline. State lawmakers have gone on their Spring Break without the House putting the first stamp of approval in the long state budget process. This is an extremely tight year, with cuts made in the budgetted amounts from a year ago. House Speaker Jim Kreider of Nixa says tough times make for a slow process. By tradition, the House takes its first vote on the budget the week before Spring Break and sends it to the Senate before going home. House Budget Committee Chairman Tim Green of St. Louis says everything is ready for the House to take up the budget when it returns. Green also has proposed taking $75-Million from the Rainy Day Fund to avoid further cuts. That’s less than what Governor Holden proposed. The legislature has to approve a budget a week before the end of session.