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Weekly Update

It was Budget Week in the State Capitol for the House of Representatives this week. Tuesday the House debated and perfected House Appropriations Bills 1-13 on the floor. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 3, which appropriates money for the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development and institutions of higher education in the state. MoExcels funding was not included in the proposed language. Chairman Smith expressed his intent to use federal dollars to fill in the MoExcels funding in the future. Included in the perfected version of HB 3:

• $419m for core appropriation for the University of ����ֱ�� System
  • Includes $3m for the NextGen Precision Health (rolled into the core)
• $250,000 for Project Lead the Way for ����ֱ�� University of Science and Technology
• $275,000 for Greenley Research Center for research related to the “Water Works for Agriculture in ����ֱ��”
• $500,000 for the Fischer Delta Research Center
• $325,000 for the University of ����ֱ�� School of Law Veterans Clinic
• $416,622 to UMSL for the international collaboration and economic opportunity
• $437,640 for the ����ֱ�� Telehealth Network
• $1.5m to research on spinal cord injuries
• $1.75m for the treatment of renal disease

On Thursday the House Third Read and Passed the budget bills. These bills will now be sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee for review and possible changes.

Legislative Update

On Wednesday, the Senate Gubernatorial Committee had Todd Graves before the committee for questioning and comments before they took a vote to send his nomination for appointment to the Board of Curators to the Senate Floor for debate on Thursday.