Funding for critical infrastructure projects
House members this week approved four bills that appropriate more than $5.4 billion in funding for vital infrastructure projects and programs across the state.
Lawmakers approved HB 17 to re-appropriate funding for state parks around Missouri. In total the bill contains nearly $431 million in funding. House members also gave their stamp of approval to HB 18 to continue ongoing funding that will keep state facilities maintained and repaired. The bill allocates a total of more than $588 million for that purpose.
With the approval of HB 19 legislators authorized more than $1.7 billion in funding for crucial capital improvement projects. Included in that total is $859 million in funding to widen and rebuild the I-70 corridor. The plan is a priority of Gov. Mike Parson who called for the funding to expand the highway to six lanes from St. Louis to Warrenton; Kansas City to Odessa, and extending both East and West from Columbia. The governor said the expansion would improve inter and intrastate travel for Missourians, visitors, and goods and services as well as reduce traffic injuries and deaths.
House members also authorized $100 million in funding for maintenance and repair for the state’s minor and low volume roadways. The additional funding will help provide much-needed upgrades to overlooked roadways in the state’s rural areas. The bill also works to improve public safety in Missouri by investing more than $30 million in funding for new facilities and training for law enforcement. It also prioritizes improving access to health care by allocating more than $26 million for construction and expansion of vital health care facilities across the state. Additionally, the bill appropriates $10 million to help address the lack of housing for the homeless in Springfield.
The House Budget Chairman
Cody Smith (R-Carthage) said HB 19 provides vital funding to important projects across the state but also requires buy in at the local level. He said, “We’re doing a lot of good things here with this bill, investing heavily into our infrastructure and getting local participation in many cases.”
The final budget bill approved by the House, HB 20, re-appropriates approximately $2.7 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for various programs and projects. All four bills now move to the Senate for consideration. The two chambers must reach final agreement on the bills by Friday, May 5.