Missouri Senate approves $3.16 billion supplemental budget after floor fight over $16 million IT item and utility costs
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Summary
After hours of floor questioning about Medicaid accounting, utility-rate increases and a contested $16 million IT new-decision item, the Missouri Senate adopted a floor substitute for House Bill 2014 and passed the supplemental appropriations bill by a recorded vote (24–6).
The Missouri Senate on the floor of the Capitol adopted a senate substitute and, on final passage, approved House Bill 2014, a supplemental appropriations bill the chamber’s handlers said totals roughly $3.16 billion in added spending and adjustments for fiscal year 2026.
The bill passed after extended debate over several floor changes and line items, including restored funding and newly added federal-to-state match adjustments. The senator handling the floor substitute described key changes as restoring $400,000 for the state animal health laboratory to test for the New World screwworm; moving $150,000 for a Great American State Fair exhibit to the Department of Economic Development; removing a roughly $14.875 million owner’s-representative line for the State Capitol master plan; and updating multiple Missouri HealthNet (Medicaid) match lines after newly supplied utilization figures.
Those technical and programmatic adjustments were the subject of sustained questioning. “Primarily, the things that were changed were changes within Medicaid funding,” the senator handling the substitute said while explaining that some federal-match lines dropped and others increased after updated numbers were provided to appropriations staff. He told colleagues the new tracking sheet showed the supplemental’s total and the composition among general revenue, federal funds and other funds.
Opponents focused on what they described as unusual uses of the supplemental process. Several senators criticized the inclusion of a $16 million new-decision item (NDI) for a new IT platform and other items they argued should be placed in FY2027 operating bills. “If that $16,000,000 stays in your new sub, I’m not voting for it,” a senator opposing the NDI said on the floor, adding that he could not defend that allocation to constituents who face cuts to vital services.
The senator who sponsored the substitute defended the technology funding as a start on addressing high error rates in MoHealthNet reporting, which staff warned could expose the state to substantial federal penalties if not corrected. “I do believe we need to get started on it,” he said, noting the $16 million was the beginning of a scoping and implementation process and that failure to bring down the error rate could carry heavy fiscal consequences.
Other contested items drew attention as well. Floor negotiators removed a roughly $984,000 request for build-out and furnishings for an Attorney General’s office location in Chesterfield and the $150,000 previously allocated for a state exhibit in Washington, D.C.; the sponsor announced those two items had been removed in Senate Substitute No. 2 prior to the final vote.
The Senate recorded a roll-call result after the motion for final passage: the secretary announced the bill had passed with a constitutional majority, 24 ayes and 6 noes. The sponsor then moved for final passage and the bill was declared passed.
What’s next: The bill, as passed by the Senate, will return to the House if any textual differences remain between the chambers; otherwise the supplemental will move on for any required executive action.
Vote at a glance: House Bill 2014 (supplemental appropriations for FY2026) — Senate substitute adopted and bill passed on final reading; recorded result announced as 24 ayes, 6 noes.