The state House has passed a 27.1-billion dollar state spending plan.

The budget would cut $7.6-million dollars from the University of Missouri’s administration, which some critics say will hurt students.

Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson (left) and House Minority leader Jake Hummel (right) (photos courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson (left) and House Minority leader Jake Hummel (right) (photos courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

House Speaker Todd Richardson (R-Poplar Bluff) disagreed.

“This was a cut that was specifically made to the president’s office budget and the system budget, and there’s absolutely no reason that the administration has to have that reduction have any impact on students,” said Richardson.

House Democrat Leader Jake Hummel (D-St. Louis) said of course it will hurt students.

“The administration is there for a reason. You’re going to have some kind of loss of educational outcome based on that,” said Hummel. “We’ve gone from being able to do something about racism that exists on a campus to punishing those students for demonstrating about racial inequity.”

Another $1-million dollars was moved from the University of Missouri Columbia Campus to the agricultural research program at Lincoln University in Jefferson City.

The budget goes to the Senate, which is reeling after Republican leaders shut down debate on a proposed ballot question regarding clergy and business owners who refuse to participate in same-sex marriages. It’s left some questioning whether that chamber will be able to take up work on the budget or anything else, anytime soon.