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House sends package of operating-budget bills to conference with Senate
Summary
The Missouri House approved motions refusing to adopt Senate substitutes for a set of operating and budget bills (house bills 2002–2013) and requested conference committees so lawmakers can reconcile differences; members debated high-level changes including childcare subsidies, foundation formula funding and a reported $1.76 billion broadband funds shift.
The Missouri House on April 22 approved a series of motions to refuse Senate substitutes for a group of operating and budget-related bills and requested that the Senate recede or grant conference committees to reconcile differences.
Budget chairman (Representative from McDonald County) moved that the House refuse to adopt the Senate substitutes for house bills 2002 through 2013 and ask the Senate to recede from its position, or failing that, to grant the House a conference. The motions were approved repeatedly by the body by voice vote as the chairman renewed each motion.
Why it matters: The moves open formal conference committee negotiations between the two chambers on the state operating budget and related appropriations. Several members stressed the importance of preserving particular House positions, while acknowledging that conference negotiations are the normal way to resolve differences.
What lawmakers said: The budget chairman said the motions simply "allow us to go to conference, which we'd like to do on the budget," and asked for the body's support. A representative who queried the chairman noted that she would support sending the bills to conference but wanted to spotlight changes she had observed in the Senate substitutes, including potential differences on childcare and the foundation funding formula. The same member flagged a reported transfer of about $1.76 billion from the operating budget into a separate bill for broadband grants, which could make the Senate operating totals appear smaller than the House's figure.
Details and process: The motions were mainly procedural and were recorded on the floor as approved with the "ayes have it" voice votes; the clerk did not record numerical tallies for each motion on the floor in the transcript except where individual votes were previously recorded. The actions specifically enable conference committees to negotiate final text and fiscal numbers and do not by themselves change enacted appropriations.
Votes at a glance (floor actions sent to conference): - House bills 2002–2013: motions to refuse Senate substitutes and request conference — motions approved (voice votes). Notes: Many motions were renewed and approved in sequence; members raised questions about specific line items and structural changes reported in Senate substitutes.
Next steps: The conference committee process will produce negotiated language that both chambers must approve. Members said discussions will include childcare subsidies, transportation funding, and education formula issues among other line items.
