That’s a wrap: Missouri Legislature passes $49 billion state budget proposal

The Missouri Legislature has wrapped up its state budget work by passing a roughly 49-billion-dollar proposal. 

The spending plan includes 171-million to boost pay for workers caring for the developmentally disabled and 28-million to raise the minimum teacher pay to 38-thousand-dollars. 

State Representative Peter Merideth, a St. Louis Democrat, says he fully supports a 20-percent raise for state patrol troopers, but he says the budget does not go far enough…

“I think it is extremely frustrating to show the contrast in our willingness to do a substantial raise of 20% for law enforcement for highway patrol and for Capitol Police, while we refuse to do that for our mental health workers, we refuse to even do an 8.7% for the contractors that take care of our most vulnerable citizens, and we refuse to do it for teachers,” says Merideth.

The budget outline also helps Kansas City organize the 2026 World Cup and adds 100 Children’s Division workers to help keep families together. 

The spending plan heads to Governor Mike Parson for his blessing.