Interview- Greitens talks budget problems, ice storm, other issues

Charlie Davis on the budget and his kidney stone

(In his latest report, Rep. Charlie Davis, R-Webb City, talks about the budget which was passed by the House last week and his problems with a kidney stone.)

Last week, the Missouri House of Representatives passed a balanced and fiscally responsible budget that contains the largest education budget in the state’s history, funds Medicaid reforms, and increases appropriations for business development while limiting wasteful spending.

Tim Jones: Where are Gov. Nixon's priorities?

In a portion of his latest newsletter, Speaker of the House Tim Jones, R-Eureka, has a few more comments about Gov. Jay Nixon's State of the State Address.

Like so many parts of our lives the weather is always changing. I hope you have taken the time to notice a few of the amazing sunsets we have enjoyed this past week. However, the bitter cold has returned both inside and outside the building.  It was particularly frigid inside the Capitol last week as Gov. Nixon received a chilling response from the legislature as he presented his State of the State address.

There is a stark difference from the reality of the weather outside and the winter wonderland of the governor’s forecasted budget. Nixon played Santa in January. Sadly, the governor’s proposed budget does not meet the realities of Missouri’s current revenue estimates. These estimates are not Republican numbers, rather numbers that are evaluated by The University of Missouri. Nixon’s budget holds no plan for real job growth, no plan to help the transfer situation for students in failing schools or even a plan for the other failing schools in Missouri.

 My colleagues and I take the budget issues confronting this great State very seriously. In contrast, Nixon’s budget has a request for over $324, 641 for a Washington D.C. office and three staffers for the office of Administration. I ask you, where are his priorities?

Rep. Charlie Davis on Nixon budget plan: The dollars aren't there

In a portion of his latest report, Rep. Charlie Davis, R-Webb City, offered his thoughts on Gov. Jay Nixon's State of the State address.

The State of the State address was on Tuesday night and I will have some raw numbers from the governor’s budget next week.

 I can tell you that there is about $500 million dollars that we would have to come up with to pay for his budget. The dollars simply aren’t there to pay for everything.

We in the legislature want to fund all our programs the best we can but to be over optimistic is the wrong thing to do. To present a budget that goes way beyond what the economists predict our growth will be is irresponsible.

 Our University of Missouri economists and our house and senate budget committees had predicted a 4.2% growth this nest fiscal year (I believe that to be too high.) The governor decided, for the first time, to go out on a limb and use HIS numbers, refusing to listen to the economists. He says we will have a 6% growth in Missouri’s economy.

I just hope all our departments don’t get their hopes up and start spending money we don’t have. We will budget a 4.2% increase in general revenue but will not put our citizens and our state’s fiscal house in jeopardy.

Rep. Kelley response to Nixon: We must be fiscally responsible

(In his latest newsletter, Rep. Mike Kelley, R-Lamar, responds to Gov. Jay Nixon's State of the State message.)

During the annual State of the State Address, Governor Nixon proposed the largest budget in state history while continuing to withhold $134 million from the current fiscal year. The governor started this budget process by throwing economic predictions to the wind and opting to write a budget based on his own optimistic and unrealistic growth predictions.  For the state to receive enough revenue to fund the governor’s budget we would need more than 6 percent growth in the next fiscal year. Year-to-date, we have seen 1.32 percent growth.  I felt that during the State of the State I needed to keep looking for the Leprechaun in the room because based on the Governor's over-inflated budget proposal I assumed he must have found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?  As you can see from the following quote from my friend House Budget Chairman Rick Stream this is not a first time offense for Governor Nixon, but it is by far his worst. 

“In the six years that the governor has presented a budget to the legislature he has made a habit out of over-promising and under-delivering,” said House Budget Chairman Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood). 

Every single year this governor has made budget withholds despite promising the moon and stars to every interest group during his State of the State address.  This year is different only because it is the most egregious.  Earlier this week as I listened to the governor promise hundreds of millions of dollars to at least half a dozen different state programs, the money for which, House and Senate economists have agreed that we do not have.  I have to come to the conclusion that just as in the past the Governor’s intentions are to try and overinflate the budget so he can once again “cherry pick” withholding funding stating that we don’t have the revenue to support the appropriation for his own personal interests.  I would go as far to say you could question if in doing so he is abusing his authority and could even be violating the Constitution of Missouri that he has taken an oath of office to uphold!  When I visited with the Budget Chairman this was his response.

“The Consensus Revenue Process has been used for decades to reach an agreement about what the upcoming fiscal year will bring. By offering a budget that predicts higher growth Nixon is attempting to increase his budgetary oversight and allow himself to withhold more money if the Missouri does not reach the projected revenue levels.” Rep. Stream emphasized that “the House will budget based on the revenue projection that the House and Senate agreed upon in December. The projection includes a 2 percent revised CRE for FY14 and a 4.2 percent CRE for FY2015.”

While I like other House Republicans believe we should invest in education, core infrastructure and those in the most need, we must continue to do those things in a responsible fashion; we must continue to offer a balanced, fiscally responsible budget to protect the future of Missouri. The Budget is constitutionally required to be voted on by May 9th, at 5 p.m.