Administration Officials Stress Need For Tough Budget

A tough budget is proposed by Governor Matt Blunt for the next fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Michael Keathley claims it’s the toughest budget since 1981, when Governor Kit Bond ordered deep cuts to restore balance. Keathley says the past few budgets have sidestepped fiscal responsibility by using one-time revenues to balance. The budget totals just over $19-Billion. It would increase school funding by $170-Million, but to do that it proposes deep cuts to the state’s Medicaid program, which would throw thousands off the Medicaid rolls. The budget also proposes eliminating 1,400 state jobs, with the biggest cuts coming to the Mental Health Department. The Department of Revenue would also lose more than 200 jobs.