By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri is a step closer to having a state budget for next fiscal year.
State Senators yesterday approved the $18.8 billion spending plan.
Differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget now have to be worked out before heading to the governor's desk.
The House version is slightly smaller, but the Senate budget-writers used assumed growth in tax revenue to make their projections. The Senate version, for example, spends nearly $111 million more on Medicaid than the House version does. There are also multi-million dollar funding increases for education.
The Legislature has until May 7 to send a final budget to the governor.