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Kehoe signs $50.7B Missouri state budget into law, issues over 60 vetoes

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Tuesday that he signed the $50.7 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins Wednesday.
Charlotte Keene
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Tuesday that he signed the $50.7 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins Wednesday.

Missouri faced a tight budget this session after years of record spending. Kehoe issued 65 vetoes, totaling over $30 million in general revenue.

Missouri officially has a budget for the new fiscal year.

Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Tuesday that he signed the bills that make up the $50.7 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins Wednesday.

The state operating budget is around $49.8 billion. Of that amount, $15.7 billion is made up of general revenue.

In a statement, Kehoe said the budget "funds smart and necessary investments, while also taking an important step toward right-sizing government to ensure Missouri remains positioned for long-term success."

Included in the budget is nearly $10 billion for education, including K-12 and higher education, and over $2 billion for public safety.

That includes $60 million in general revenue toward the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, which allows families to get funding to send their children to the school of their choice, including private schools.

It also includes $91.9 million toward the currently ongoing World Cup, for which Kansas City is one of the host cities. Federal dollars are a part of that total.

Missouri faced its tightest budget in years. That's in part due to the state either spending or allocating the glut of federal funding it received, including from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Kehoe issued 65 vetoes, totaling over $30 million in general revenue.

Additionally, he issued 78 withholds. That means he didn't veto the item but is not releasing the funding. Those expenditure restrictions totaled over $440 million, including over $337 million in general revenue.

Kehoe's office said the vetoes and restrictions were "limited to new projects, improper funding sources for new appropriations, or an over appropriation of various funds."

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Sarah Kellogg