Missouri in no rush to spend $2.7B of flexible pandemic aid

(AP) Missouri will get nearly $2.7 billion of flexible federal aid under President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief act. But the state isn’t in any rush to spend it. The U.S. Treasury Department released guidelines Monday for how states can use the money. States that apply quickly could get at least part of their share this month. But the 2022 state budget passed by lawmakers last week doesn’t include the new flexible federal funds. A spokeswoman for Gov. Mike Parson says the administration will present a plan next year to lawmakers for how to spend the money.