Missouri state budget director Dan Haug Archives

Missouri’s state budget director will testify Monday morning in Jefferson City about a proposed supplemental budget. Budget director Dan Haug will summarize a 124-page report, and we’ll learn the final details about the total amount of the supplemental at that time.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks on the Missouri House floor on November 9, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The House Budget Committee meets Monday morning at 11 at the Statehouse, and they’ll hear Director Haug’s budget presentation and testimony. No public testimony will be taken, at the hearing.

Missouri’s current state operating budget is about $38 billion, which includes about $7.4 billion in supplemental budgets with federal money. The proposed supplemental budget that will be outlined on Monday is in addition to that.

Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet that the supplemental “will be a cross section of the overall budget,” adding that there will be a little bit of everything in it.

For instance, the Parson administration is requesting $6.4 million in supplemental funding for the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Office of Special Education.

The 124-page report says the supplemental funding is needed due to a shortfall in funding for early childhood special education (ECSE) reimbursement from fiscal year 2020 and an anticipated shortfall in funding for FY 2021 ECSE reimbursement. The ECSE program provides individual instruction and therapy services to preschool aged children with disabilities.

Governor Mike Parson’s (R) administration is also recommending $1.6 million to cover COVID-19-related revenue losses impacting the Missouri State Fair fee fund. The report says the State Fair in Sedalia has lost significant revenue due to cancellations of off-season and fair events. That includes event rental fees, gate admissions, camping fees, entry fees and sponsorship fees.

The report also notes the Missouri State Fair has had to buy substantial amounts of janitorial and sanitizing supplies, along with a large quantity of additional signage to help ensure the safety of staff and event participants. The report notes that the State Fair has a long history of meeting its operational costs with its own fee revenues, which is the State Fair fee fund.

But because of COVID losses, the Parson administration says additional funding is needed to sustain State Fair operations through FY 2021 and to ensure that a full fair week can be done this year, including grandstand events and a carnival.

The supplemental budget request also includes about $223,000 for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, for the April municipal election.

The report notes that state law requires mailing envelopes used for returning ballots to local election authorities to incorporate a business reply permit so that no ballot that’s returned by mail requires postage. Missouri law requires that all fees and costs for establishing and maintaining the business reply permit be covered by the Secretary of State’s office. The report says that because of the pandemic, more voters than ever will vote using the absentee option.