This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 11, 2011 - Snow may be blanketing the state capital, but Republican leaders of the Missouri General Assembly still are kicking the new session into gear this week with a focus on likely state budget cuts -- slated to be in the $500 million range -- for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Missouri state House Speaker Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, said in an interview Monday that his chamber will be sending out letters shortly to all state-government department chiefs asking them for a "cost-containment plan."
"We'd like to see a cost-containment plan for each department,'' Tilley said, as he explained the purpose for sending the letters. "Those are the people who deal with it everyday. (We want them to) tell us how they can be more efficient because we're all going to have to do more with less."
Meanwhile, the Missouri Senate begins hearings Tuesday that focus on "rebooting government," in effect coming up with program cuts. "Working groups'' of senators are focusing on every state-government function, from education to the courts. Next week, the panels will offer up their recommendations on what to trim or eliminate.
At issue for the state House and Senate is the $500 million shortfall that Missouri is expected to see for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The chief reason? An end to the federal stimulus aid that lawmakers and Gov. Jay Nixon have used to help balance the state budgets for the last three years, as mandated by the state constitution.
The actions by Tilley and state Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, come as Nixon, a Democrat, prepares to unveil his administration's budget proposal next Tuesday in conjunction with his annual State of the State address.
The governor's budget then will go to the legislature, which appears prepared to draft its own.
But this week's flurry of initial legislative activity isn't all about money.
In fact, the House's first official vote this session is expected to be taken Tuesday on a resolution that calls for Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to join a multistate lawsuit challenging the legality of the new federal health-care law. Many of the changes went into effect Jan. 1.
Republican leaders in Missouri oppose the law, citing last summer's overwhelming statewide vote in favor of Proposition C, which in effect seeks to exempt Missouri from the new federal provisions.
So far, Koster -- a Democrat who used to be a Republican -- has declined to join the lawsuit, which largely has been filed by states where the governor or the attorney general is a Republican. Nixon also has opposed the idea.
Denies Deal-cutting with Democratic Committee Chairs
Also Tuesday, Tilley plans to seek House approval of new rules that he says will grant more power to the minority Democrats. Although the House now has a record-setting number of Republicans -- 106 out of 163 -- the speaker said he sees no point in "flaunting that power."
Some Democrats privately contend a political motive lurks behind Tilley's kindness. He'll need three Democrats to amass the 109 votes necessary to override any Nixon vetoes. (The Senate has a veto-proof majority of 26 Republicans, three more than needed.)
Tilley also just happens to have named three Democrats as committee chairs, a departure from the usual. Most speakers only name legislators of their own party as chairmen.
Tilley said he's heard the same talk and denied cutting any deals with the three Democrats (who include state Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis). The theory wrongly assumes, he said, that "I asked those three, 'Would you vote with me to override the governor.' "
If any override is sought next fall, "I would love to have their vote. ... But that's true of any other Democrat," Tilley said. Those doubting his word, he added, should ask the three Democratic committee chairs.
The rules that he's recommending Tuesday don't include a ban on campaign contributions during the legislative session. Although the speaker would like legislators to consider the idea, he's not pressing it. (A mandate added in 1993 was tossed out by the courts.)
Tilley is, however, sticking by his plan not to accept any donations himself during the session -- although he has formed a campaign committee to make a possible run for lieutenant governor in 2012.
"It's a personal choice,'' he said.
