Missouri: Hundreds give budget-cutting tips to lawmakers

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March 17, 2010

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Wed Mar 17, 2010, 10:39 PM CDT

The Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Hundreds of Missourians have chipped in their own suggestions for closing a state budget deficit — including four-day work weeks, firing some lawmakers and taxing marijuana to generate funds.

The ideas submitted to a special Senate Web site were released to reporters Wednesday. Senators plan to break into groups next week and dig into the proposals. They have scheduled a rare break from daily floor debates.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has cut more than $850 million from a $23.7 billion budget. Last week, Nixon outlined additional ideas — eliminating 1,000 state jobs, half the state’s primary vehicle fleet and all state scholarships for students at private colleges — to help close an expected $500 million gap in next year’s proposed budget.

The Senate set up a special Web site called “Rebooting Government” to solicit ideas from the state’s residents.

Numerous people suggested reducing the size of the Legislature and its staff, trimming middle management in agencies, switching to a four-day work week for state employees and requiring furloughs.

Some of the most specific ideas came from state employees. A woman who works in the Division of Professional Registration, for example, suggested that people could empty their trash instead of paying a cleaning crew to do so. Another state employee calculated the state could save around $1 million a year by making use of energy-saving functions on computers, instead of leaving them on overnight.

Missourians called for replacing the state income tax with an expanded sales tax.

Their suggestions also included merging some of the state’s 523 public school districts, stopping the use of salt on icy roads during winter and selling advertising space on interstate highway overpasses like at auto race tracks. Several people suggested turning Interstate 70 from Kansas City to St. Louis and Interstate 44 from Joplin to St. Louis into toll roads.

One woman from Neosho suggested schools could save money if senior citizens were paid a small stipend — or given a free school meal — in exchange for working in cafeterias or tutoring children.

Many suggested that the state continue charging for two license plates, while only giving motorists one.

Other proposals were even bolder, like the suggestion of legalizing and taxing marijuana — an idea that comes as the House and Senate have each passed versions of a bill criminalizing synthetic marijuana and defeated attempts to legalize medical marijuana.

Another suggestion for shrinking government that came from the public: eliminating driver’s licenses.

Gov. Nixon has suggested consolidating the Department of Higher Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education into one agency and combining the State Highway Patrol and State Water Patrol into a single law enforcement agency to save money.

While the Senate sifts through cost-cutting tips, the House budget writers were to start on Wednesday night debating a budget that takes effect July 1. Budget Committee Chairman Allen Icet told reporters that he expects significant spending cuts but has not set a target for how much he wants to slash.

“We need to cut hundreds of millions of dollar this year and hundreds of millions of dollars next year,” said Icet, R-Wildwood.

Budget writers have proposed cutting $25,000 used by the House for brewing coffee and providing bottled water from the budget taking effect July 1.

Another plan suggests that lawmakers cut office expenses to hire two new investigators for the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The House also plans to forego state-funded travel outside Missouri and lawmakers will no longer get reimbursed for using their personal cell phones to conduct state business.

The House estimates it will save $55,000 by not reimbursing cell phones, an unknown amount by restricting travel and $242,000 by scrapping its Legislative Budget Office.

From next year’s budget the House has booked around a half-million dollars in savings. That covers $100,000 to $200,000 by not hiring additional staff to handle legislative redistricting after the census and $345,000 by skipping membership dues in national organizations for state governments such as the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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January 19, 2011
Audit: $108,000 taken from Missouri Veterans Commission JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A former employee of the state auditor’s office embezzled nearly $108,000 while working as an accountant for the Missouri Veterans Commission, the state auditor alleged Monday.

Stacy Griffin-Lowery was fired by the Veterans Commission in March 2008 and pleaded guilty three months later to a misdemeanor theft charge. She repaid the state $17,665, the auditor’s office said.

But Missouri Auditor Susan Montee on Monday accused Griffin-Lowery of swiping an additional $90,192 by getting reimbursed for cash advances and purchases made on her personal credit card.
April 12, 2010
Race in Kansas’ 2nd District could heat up for GOP incumbent TOPEKA, Kan. — A conservative Kansas legislator said Monday he will announce in a few weeks whether he will challenge freshman U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins in the Republican primary.

State Sen. Dennis Pyle’s actions in recent months suggest the Hiawatha farmer, who’s served in the Legislature since 2001, is running against Jenkins in the Aug. 2 primary. He set up a campaign organization in November and has a Web site featuring a brief video of him on his farm, asking viewers for support.
April 12, 2010
Oklahoma tea party leaders, lawmakers envision militia OKLAHOMA CITY — Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty.

Tea party movement leaders say they’ve discussed the idea with several supportive lawmakers and hope to get legislation next year to recognize a new volunteer force
April 12, 2010
Missouri: Senate panel cuts $500 million from proposed budget JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Senate committee declared Thursday that it has sliced more than $500 million from Missouri’s proposed budget for next year — meeting a target set by Gov. Jay Nixon to bring it in balance.
April 8, 2010
Kansas: Wichita-area casino in doubt after governor’s decision TOPEKA, Kan. — A proposed casino south of Wichita was in doubt Thursday after Gov. Mark Parkinson refused to grant its developers a regulatory reprieve. Partners in the $225 million Chisholm Creek project wanted to delay a state board’s decision on their plans.
April 8, 2010
Oklahoma: Groups oppose education spending initiative OKLAHOMA CITY — A coalition of business and labor groups said Thursday it will work to defeat a ballot initiative to dramatically increase spending on public education that coalition members said would devastate the budgets of many other state services and possibly force tax increases.
April 8, 2010
Missouri: Gov. Nixon affirms support for tuition freeze COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has no plans to sit idly while lawmakers consider whether to preserve a tuition freeze deal he assembled before the state’s dire financial status was fully known.
April 7, 2010
Kansas: Agency uses YouTube to illustrate road woes TOPEKA, Kan. — It’s one thing to hear about potholes and state budgets. It’s another to see how the two are connected. That’s part of the thinking behind a new video presentation on YouTube this week from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
April 7, 2010
Oklahoma: Pathologist says girl’s throat might have been cut OKLAHOMA CITY — A 7-year-old girl who was found dead in Oklahoma near the body of her suspected kidnapper likely died after her throat was cut, an independent pathologist said Wednesday, the same day the child’s funeral attracted hundreds of mourners.
April 7, 2010
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Missouri: Hundreds give budget-cutting tips to lawmakers

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

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