Blunt Outlines Budget Cut Proposals

Governor Matt Blunt outlines where his adminsitration would cut almost one-quarter billion dollars from the state budget for the coming fiscal year – and social services programs will take more than one-third of those cuts. Blunt proposes cutting $94-Million out of Social Services. He’d also shut down a state prison and would eliminate the state subsidy for AMTRAK trains between Kansas City and St. Louis. Economic Development, Health, Mental Health, and Corrections would take cuts of more than $10-Million each. Blunt proposes to eliminate more than 2,700 state jobs. Blunt had asked the Legislature to pass a budget but let his departments decide what to cut. Lawmakers in the House have been making the cuts themselves.