Mazzie Boyd – District 2 Capitol Report
To the Great Constituents of District 2,
Governor Signs off on Missouri’s Largest Operating Budget
One day before the start of the new fiscal year, Missouri’s Governor Mike Parson gave final approval to the largest operating budget in the history of the state. With the signing of the Fiscal Year 2024 state operating and capital improvement budget bills, Missouri has made significant investments that will majorly benefit the state’s infrastructure, workforce, education system, and public safety.
Through strategic investments, Missouri’s operating budget will continue to make great strides toward a better future for the state while focusing on building the economy and providing the services needed to give Missourians the life and opportunities they deserve.
Our legislature has crafted a state operating budget for the coming year that reaches far beyond the grasp of previous budgets, as we have worked to ensure the continued funding of invaluable services and programs while making the hard decisions on how to best serve the state while remaining fiscally sound. Our state revenues are up, businesses are continuing to grow, we’ve invested in long-term projects that will benefit the state for years to come, and we’ve managed to maintain a historic revenue surplus, all while cutting taxes and putting dollars back into the pockets of Missourians.
In the end, our state operating budget carries a price tag of approximately $51.8 billion, with $15.2 billion in general revenue, which includes funds for vital programs, including K-12 education, public safety, higher education, transportation, health and mental health, among many others. The state ended the 2023 fiscal year with roughly $7.8 billion in surplus funds, and general revenue beat expectations for the year at $13.2 billion.
The children of our state are always the top priority, and our budget goes a long way to show our commitment to making sure they get the education and services they need. This year, we’ve secured $3.6 billion in state aid to our K-12 public schools, while also fully funding school transportation costs with $233 million. We worked hard to give our invaluable educators a much-needed boost in their pocketbooks, as the budget includes $29 million to raise the minimum public school teacher salary to $38,000. Here is a breakdown of some of the items we’ve achieved to help provide the citizens of this state with the tools they need in workforce development and education.
Early childhood development was one of the key priorities for the State of Missouri this year, and the result is $78 million to increase the rates for childcare providers, along with $56 million for public and charter schools and $26 million for private child care providers to offer Pre-Kindergarten programs to students qualifying for free and reduced lunch.
The state’s infrastructure system is critical to the success and growth of our economy, and the state is taking steps to ensure that we are doing our part to maintain the roads and bridges so that transportation of goods and services in the heartland of our nation meet the needs of the future. To that end, Missouri has invested in infrastructure projects across the state, the largest of which is expanding Interstate 70 to six lanes. The FY24 budget bills include billions of dollars for critical infrastructure projects.
It’s a pleasure to serve and as always if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to my office at (573) 751-4285 or email me at [email protected].
All my Best,
Mazzie Boyd, State Representative for District 2
