Budget cuts appear unlikely
Published March 15, 2005
Debates regarding the state budget should move out of appropriations committees to the full budget committee this week, legislators working on the budget said Monday.
Rep. Kathlyn Fares, R-Webster Groves and chairwoman of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said discussions should move to the full budget committee soon.
"(Tonight) I will report to the budget committee," Fares said. "All of the appropriations committees have completed their work."
Fares said budget hearings should continue for weeks.
The Education Appropriations Subcommittee makes recommendations for the K-12 education budget and the higher education budget.
Fares said her committee didn't make many changes to Gov. Matt Blunt's recommendations in the higher education budget.
The one change they did make was to increase the funding for MOREnet by $618,000, Fares said. The program was scheduled to be cut by almost $3 million next year.
The funding for MOREnet, a shared network among K-12 schools, colleges and public libraries, came out of an adult literacy program.
Fares said the money was re-instated to offset expected user fee increases for the program.
Matt Pierson, legislative director of the Associated Students of the University of Missouri, said the subcommittee's recommendation is good news.
"This is the first in a long series of steps that needs to happen for a flat appropriations in the House," said Pierson, who is also a columnist for The Maneater. "Right now, a flat budget is the best we can hope for. This is a significant early step."
Pierson said ASUM members would continue to meet with legislators in both chambers. He said maintaining a flat budget once it arrives in the Senate would be a struggle.
In Blunt's proposed budget, higher education would receive a flat appropriation for this year. Last year, the UM system received just more than $400 million from the state.
Based on this proposal, the UM system Board of Curators recommended a 3.5 percent student fee increase for next year.
UM system spokesman Joe Moore said he is unsure how that number might fluctuate if budget talks turn south and higher education gets cut. He said affordability is one of the system's priorities.
"Keeping a quality education affordable has always been one of our main priorities," Moore said. "We have to balance our budget in the best way possible to maximize both affordability and quality."
While the General Assembly debates the higher education budget for next year, Blunt announced late last month a $100 million withholding from the higher education budget. Blunt has promised the money will be repaid by this summer with state income tax revenues.
