Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee to begin FY2026 budget markup as soon as April 22

Senator Rusty Black, vice chair of the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee, said the Senate could begin markup of the fiscal year 2026 state operating budget as soon as April 22. "The state's spending plan always starts in the Missouri House of Representatives," Black said, adding that after the House third-reads its budget and sends it to the Senate, "the Appropriations Committee will begin our process of markup and craft our version of the state's budget."

The budget timetable is compressed by a statutory deadline: "By law, the budget has to be delivered to the executive branch no later than 6PM on Friday, May 9," reporter Dean Morgan said. Crafting the state operating budget is the legislature's only constitutional mandate, Black noted, which frames the committee’s schedule and priorities.

The remarks appeared during coverage of legislative scheduling rather than a formal floor vote; no committee vote or final appropriation was recorded in the provided transcript. The comments describe process steps: the House prepares the initial spending plan, the Senate Appropriations Committee conducts markup after receipt, and the Senate then must meet the statutory delivery deadline to the executive branch.

The discussion did not specify committee hearing dates beyond the earliest possible April 22 start, nor did it list spending levels, department allocations or proposed changes to House figures. Dean Morgan reported these timeline comments from the state capital.