Missouri Senate approves package of capital and reappropriation bills, restores and repositions funds for projects

The Missouri Senate moved through a package of capital and reappropriation measures on Wednesday, adopting Senate committee substitutes for House Bills 2,017, 2,018, 2,019 and 2,020 and voting each to final passage.

Senator from Livingston, the appropriations sponsor on the Senate floor, told colleagues the substitutes largely track previously authorized spending rather than creating new programs. For House Bill 2,017 he described a change to reappropriate roughly $2,000,000 left unspent from a Department of Public Safety child‑care pilot for first responders in the Kansas City area and said staff had updated numerous line items after accounting for funds already expended. “I do not see this as a new $2,000,000,” the sponsor said, explaining staff found many lines that had been spent and therefore were zeroed out in the substitute.

Colleagues questioned several specific restorations and local projects. Senators pressed for clarity about how the Senate tracked American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars and whether restored lines represented new general‑revenue commitments. Senator from the fourth stressed the distinction between reappropriations of previously authorized ARPA or capital commission dollars and new general‑revenue spending, saying it was important that listeners understand the budget’s accounting.

Debate on House Bill 2,019 focused on construction and renovation projects statewide. The sponsor highlighted restoring $3,500,000 for the Phelps County Early Childhood Center and described an $80,000,000 economic‑development line tied to interest accrued from an earlier I‑70 fund. Several senators questioned the scale and prioritization of general‑revenue lines, citing a $6,400,000 allocation tied to a Seymour overpass and warning that some projects could be withheld by the governor or line‑item vetoed.

The bills were adopted and passed by recorded voice and roll calls as shown in the floor record: House Bill 2,017 was declared passed (reported as 32 ayes, 1 nay); House Bill 2,018 passed with 33 ayes, 0 noes; House Bill 2,019 passed (31 ayes, 2 noes); and House Bill 2,020 passed after Senate action on a companion appropriation spreadsheet and related language.

The sponsor said the committee substitutes include updated project totals and technical corrections found by staff during conference work. He urged members to keep close oversight on grants and local matches, noting that for several line items the committee had required local matching funds or included language asking the governor’s office to withhold funds until required matches were verified.

What happens next: The measures will be carried forward per standard enactment and, where flagged in the substitutes, some projects may be subject to withholding or future line‑item review by the governor. The chamber recessed later in the afternoon to allow members to attend bill‑signing ceremonies in the governor’s office.

Vote tallies: House Bill 2,017 — recorded in the floor exchange as 32 ayes, 1 nay; House Bill 2,018 — 33 ayes, 0 noes; House Bill 2,019 — 31 ayes, 2 noes; House Bill 2,020 — recorded voice vote with roll entries showing a constitutional majority.

Speakers quoted are identified by the role used in the Senate transcript. Attribution in this article follows the transcript: “Senator from Livingston” refers to the senator who spoke on the floor as the appropriations sponsor. The Secretary read bill titles and called the roll on third reading.