By Maria Hickey, KWMU
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwmu/local-kwmu-495471.mp3
Jefferson City, MO – Governor Matt Blunt laid out his budget priorities and goals for 2006 in his State of the State address Wednesday night.
The fiscal outlook the governor gave was much rosier than that of a year ago. That allowed the governor to pitch a plan that would spend more on schools, higher education, and state employees.
The governor also is proposing the state spend more money on Medicaid, though he is not advocating any restoration of cuts made to the program last year. The funding increase is simply what's needed to meet the current program's commitments.
As KWMU's Maria Hickey reports, the governor says the budget cuts and business-friendly policies he implemented last year helped turn the state's finances around.