June 21, 2004

Holden Approves Budget and Crime Bills

 This week, Governor Bob Holden approved without a signing ceremony the appropriations bills that make up the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004. In a public statement, Holden said that he was pleased that “draconian cuts were prevented in education and health care.” However, the governor added that the budget “does not do enough to move Missouri forward to meet the competitive challenges of the future economy.” He specifically cited concerns about education funding.

Holden also voiced opposition to the budget’s elimination of Medicaid coverage for 324 parents of dependent children. However, noting that the House of Representatives’ version of the budget would have culled more than 50,000 from the Medicaid rolls, he decided not to ask legislators to revisit the issue. “Given the mindset of the General Assembly,” he said, “it is clear they would not do any better if given another opportunity. And there is real risk they would do greater harm.”

Also this week, the governor approved House Bill 1055, which concerns crimes of various sorts. It more specifically defines the crime of assault of law enforcement or emergency personnel. Emergency personnel include emergency department and trauma center workers and emergency medical technicians. The legislation also provides for stiffer criminal penalties for certain types of assaults under these laws.

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