Senator Rupp: 2013 Budget Focusing on Education

(State Sen. Scott Rupp, R-, has released his weekly column for the week of April 23. The opinions expressed in the column are those of Sen. Rupp and do not reflect the views of the Wentzville Patch. —Ed.)

Even though the federal government has not passed a balanced budget in almost four years, lawmakers in Missouri pass a balanced budget every year.  This was a busy week at the State Capitol — early in the morning on Wednesday (4-25), the Senate gave its approval to 13 budget bills that will comprise Missouri’s projected $24 billion operating budget for FY 2013. This wasn’t an easy task — many negotiations had to be made, and all of us were forced to make tough decisions. We’re facing a $500 million revenue shortfall from last year, and those holes have to be plugged. It’s our responsibility to balance the budget. Our federal government has acquired a mountain of debt, and we cannot allow Missouri to have the same fate. We have to live within our means, and although budget cuts sometimes have to be made, it’s our mission to keep vital funding strong, without raising taxes on Missourians.

One of our top funding priorities is education. Many members of the Senate are parents — my wife and I have five children — and we want to ensure that our kids have the opportunity for a bright future and a solid education that will help them pursue their dreams and ambitions. House Bill 2002 allocates funding for elementary and secondary education. The Senate has appropriated more than $3,000,000,000 for the foundation formula, $99,797,713 for transporting our children to school, and $144,660,376 for early childhood special education.

Our children represent the success of our future, so it’s vital we invest every resource possible into their education and make sure that they are happy, learning new ideas and subjects, and developing character qualities that will help them become strong leaders of tomorrow.

All 13 of the budget bills now return to the House for its consideration, as all the bills were changed in the Senate. Once again, we’ll probably have to compromise, only this time with members of the House. If the two chambers do not agree on the changes, a conference committee will be established (consisting of Senate and House appropriations and budget panel members) to iron out differences.

If you have any questions about the FY 2013 budget, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. I know budgetary issues can sometimes be complicated, so don’t hesitate to call me with questions or concerns. It is always my pleasure to serve you. Thank you and God bless.