The governor is touring veterans homes to sign a bill providing millions of dollars to those homes. The senate leader has concerns. But he also has some optimism, that things will work out for others losing money in a complicated funding operation. .
Veterans look on as Gov. Jay Nixon signs House Bill 1731 at the Missouri Veterans Home in St. Louis. The bill provides a dedicated funding source for Missouri’s seven veterans homes, where more than 1,300 military veterans live. UPI / Bill Greenblatt
The Missouri Veterans Trust Fund is almost broke. The bill the governor is signing should keep that fund from running out a year from now by taking gambling revenue away from early childhood programs and putting it into the trust fund. .
Early childhood education programs are to get money from the national tobacco settlement to make up for its loss. To make up for losses to other programs that had been financed by the tobacco settlement, the legislature is counting on the lottery to sell a lot more tickets–maybe reduce jackpots a little–to maintain funding for those programs.
Senate leader Rob Mayer has his fingers crossed that all of this will work out. He thinks the lottery commission will figure a way to increase ticket sales to provide increased revenue needed.
Mayer also is optimistic that an improving economy will generate more state income to finance all the fund-switching.