After going through a legislative labyrinth that almost seemed unprecedented, the General Assembly finalized a legislative package that includes $12 million to assist St. Louis’ METRO system.
The
package – which was resurrected earlier this week in the Missouri House –
features a mishmash of assorted projects using about $381 million worth of
federal stimulus money. Included in the bill is $111 million for a statewide
interoperability system, $31.2 million for the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center and
$2 million to assist the state’s public defender system with bourgeoning
caseload.
Also
added into the bill were unfinished projects derived from the partial asset
sale of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, as well as $50 million to
entice battery companies.
At the
beginning of the day, passage of the bill seemed doubtful. Senate Majority
Leader Kevin Engler even said earlier this week that the bill was
"dead." But according to an understanding announced during debate on
the bill, projects not funded in the bill will be heard over the summer in a
committee examining capital improvement projects. Senate President Pro Tem
Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, said he would recommend a special session to
fund any projects pitched by the committee.
But the
$12 million allotment to METRO turned out to be the most controversial item in
the bill. The amount was inserted into the bill in order to help the mass
transit system deal with a series of painful service cuts.
The
inclusion of the money upset Kansas City lawmakers who wanted assistance to the
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, which had also seen its share of
budget woes. Sen. Yvonne Wilson – a Kansas City Democrat angry about absence of
the help for KCATA – briefly brought the debate on the bill to a halt by
reading a book.
But
Wilson – as well as Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City -- chose to scrap their
filibuster after getting an assurance that funding for KCATA would be
considered over the summer in the capital improvement committee. The Senate then
voted 23-8 to pass the bill.
Minutes
after the bill was passed, the measure hit the floor of the Missouri House. There,
it got flack from Democrats who were upset at the bill’s trajectory. House
Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, took the unusual step of directing the bill to
the House Rules Committee – which Democrats said was in violation of the House
rules. Other Democrats expressed a desire to conserve the stimulus money for
subsequent budget years.
But
the dissension within the House Democratic Caucus turned out to be exception to
the norm. A number of Democratic lawmakers, for instance, from St. Louis and Mid-Missouri
threw support behind the legislation. And bill overwhelmingly passed, 115-41. The
bill now goes to Gov. Jay Nixon’s desk. On Wednesday, Nixon spokesman Jack
Cardetti said the first-term Democratic chief executive had concerns over the
cost of the legislation.
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