Wow.
A bill containing a list of projects funded with federal stimulus dollars went down in flames on Thursday after a bipartisan group of lawmakers voted the measure down.
The package - which underwent an unusual legislative route to get to the floor so quickly - included a number of projects funded with federal stabilization dollars. In that mix include a $12 million allotment for St. Louis' METRO system, $111 million for a statewide interoperability system for law enforcement and $31.2 million for the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center in Columbia.
The legislation passed an initial vote in the House yesterday. But when it came up for another vote in order to be sent to the Missouri Senate, it failed 82-68.
A group of Republicans joined forces with a large number of Democratic lawmakers to sink the legislation. House Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt, R-Blue Springs, for example, decried the bill as a vehicle for localized pet projects. Some Democrats - such as state Rep. Jason Kander, D-Kansas City - said it was better for the money to be saved for next year.
Rep. Rachel Storch, D-St. Louis - who voted for the bill - said it's "pretty late in the session with a ticking clock" to pass some of the projects funded in the bill. Storch successfully passed an amendment on the bill yesterday procuring funding for METRO.
"I guess if I had a crystal ball, I would say either that money is going to lapse and we'll come back to it next year or we're headed toward a special session," Storch said.
House Budget Chairman Allen Icet, R-Wildwood, said some members of his caucus had "heartburn" over some of the projects. There was a perception, he said, that the list of projects were an example of needless spending.
"Going from the previous versions to this, I tried to focus on what I consider critical projects for the state," Icet said. "I'd like to ask the people who voted against it how will we find the money and pay for a statewide [law enforcement communication system]? Because as I stand here, I do not know."
Pratt said Republicans became fed up about how the legislation became an arena for local pork projects. He singled out the METRO allocation as an example.
"The METRO bill may have killed the bill on its own," Pratt said. "I'm not aware of any plan right now for the longtime sustainability of the METRO. They were looking for an infusion of cash without any plan to say they're not going to need the cash need year or the year after."
More later.
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