Actions taken on the Missouri state budget by Governor Mike Kehoe on Monday, June 30 will impact several projects in our area.
Governor Kehoe vetoed over $2,233,729,313 in spending, totaling about $300 million in general revenue, approved by the General Assembly in this year’s budget. In a statement, Kehoe said that he exercised his veto authority, “to rein in unsustainable spending” while supporting funding, “for smart policies advancing our shared vision of a safer, stronger, and more prosperous Missouri.”
Among the statewide vetoes were $2 million for high school and middle school science programs, $2 million for charter school capital improvements, and $1.8 million for salary increases at schools operated by the state board of education. Kehoe also rolled back to his recommended 1.5 percent the funding increases for community colleges, state technical college, and four-year state universities.
A number of local projects also saw their line items stricken or reduced by the Governor’s office. Among those is $1 million for a sewer system extension in Harrisburg and $200,000 for improvements to The Embassy’s facility in Sedalia for men overcoming substance abuse. About $550,000 was also stricken from a line item dedicated to Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries, which operates in Columbia and Moberly, half of what the General Assembly had appropriated.
Another $211,091,067 was restricted by the Governor, meaning that funds can be released once tax revenues allow. A number of road improvement projects are impacted by the restrictions, including $2.1 million in improvements to South Morley (Business Route 63) in Moberly. Half of the $4 million appropriated to a laboratory studying ways to combat soybean cyst nematode was also restricted.
Governor Kehoe highlighted several features of the $50.8 billion budget that he signed into law Monday. Among those was $55 million in additional bonding to improve facilities at the Missouri State Fair, and $800,000 in ongoing funding for Missouri FFA. He also touted $91 million for rural road improvements, along with $377 million to fully reimburse transportation costs to school districts and $33.4 million to ensure teachers receive the statutory minimum salary. About $10 million in new funding will assist local communities who have earned the Missouri Blue Shield designation, while another $2 million has been allocated to support the state sheriffs’ retirement fund.
We have links to the budget bills, as well as a list of the Governor’s vetoes and restrictions below:
- Appropriation Bills for Fiscal Year 2026
- Fiscal Year 2026 Line Items Vetoed
- Fiscal Year 2026 Line Items Restricted on July 1, 2025