Capitol Report

By

Brad Lager

A Call for Leadership

Last week, the Governor Nixon delivered the annual State of the State address.  He outlined his agenda for the 2010 legislative session as well as his 2011 budget proposal.  Unfortunately, the budget proposal he sent to the General Assembly is based on very optimistic revenue growth, does not fully fund the education foundation formula, and fails to meet our state government’s fundamental responsibilities.

The most important actions we take this year will be our approach for dealing with the issues that threaten our long-term fiscal health.  The budget proposed by Governor Nixon requires an additional $200 million to be withheld this fiscal year, relies on another $300 million of federal money that has not yet been approved by Congress, and uses an additional $900 million of one time budget stabilization dollars.  On top of using nearly $1.5 billion to prop up ongoing programs with one time money, his budget fails to fully fund our highest priority:  elementary and secondary education.  Most importantly, this short-term approach does not move us any closer to long-term budget stability as it ignores the simple fact that we will soon find ourselves on the edge of a financial cliff as those one time revenue sources are depleted.

As a responsible steward of the taxpayer’s money, I will continue to advocate for the Legislature to move forward with an initiative and plan to bring our budget truly into balance while fully funding our educational funding formula.  Specifically, we must have a plan to balance state expenditures with reoccurring revenues that are dependable.  Anything less than that standard constitutes poor public policy and leaves us teetering on the edge of disaster.

To balance our state budget by using reoccurring revenue will not be easy nor will it happen overnight.  In fact, it will demand real leadership and many difficult decisions.  As your voice in the Missouri Senate, I feel it is my responsibility to fight for long-term solutions, not short term patches, when addressing our state’s most complex issues.  I believe strongly that we must develop a comprehensive plan that eliminates our dependence on temporary funding sources and fully funds our greatest priorities.  If successful, we will have laid the groundwork for our government to live within its means and established a solid foundation for us to build upon. 

As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns.  The Capitol number is (573) 751-1415, my email is brad.lager@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 429, State Capitol Building , Jefferson City , MO 65101 .