Two Kansas City area senators on Wednesday urged Gov. Jay Nixon to release $1.3 million that's being withheld, so the Missouri Highway Patrol can take over the crime lab in Independence.
"If you remember, it was through the budget in a very bipartisan manner (last year)," Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, reminded Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee's Summit. "It was vetoed. It was overridden in a very bipartisan manner.
"And now it's still continuing to be withheld."
At an afternoon news conference, Nixon agreed the money is being withheld.
"The Legislature did not pass a balanced budget (last year) - not even close," he told reporters. "They know that. We know that."
Although no single section states it clearly, Missouri's Constitution requires the state to have a balanced budget on June 30 - the end of the state's business year. And the Constitution gives the governor the power to make sure the budget is balanced.
For most of the last 30 years, the Legislature and governor's office have agreed - or tried to agree - on a state revenue forecast called the "consensus revenue estimate." Based mainly on economic forecasts from the University of Missouri-Columbia, it sometimes includes other predictions as well.
After his administration's rosier-than-reality predictions for the current budget year, Nixon noted, "We had to re-analyze even the fiscal year we're in, and analyze downward what the expectations were."
Kraus said all of the state will benefit from the patrol taking control of the Independence lab.
"This actually benefits every city - everybody where there's a crime out there and there's evidence in a lab," he said. "With this lab, we offload other labs - and allow anybody who has a case that's open and evidence to be processed, to get through the process quicker."
But, unless the state steps in, Kraus said his understanding is the lab will close June 30 because of new federal requirements and Independence's inability to fund it.
"So, the only way for us to move forward is for the state to come in," Kraus said, "and for the Highway Patrol to take over certain aspects of the crime lab."
LeVota said: "If it closes, there are going to be situations where criminals are left on the street because we are not able to process the evidence - it going to have to be sent to Jeff City, Springfield and other labs, and be backlogged."
Nixon told reporters the state's budget writers continue to follow all the reports about the state's economy.
"As dollars become available, we'll look forward to making sure that they're appropriately used," he said.
As long as Nixon continues to hold on to the money, "we're not going away," Kraus said." We're going to talk about this every week, until the money is released.
"We need to raise the level of visibility on this issue, and make sure the governor hears us."
Nixon said he is not worrying about just this year's budget, but the 2017 start-up of income tax cuts for Missouri taxpayers.
"With a $600 million tax cut coming, I'm trying to make sure that we do the best we can to take care of the things we have and not see tremendous challenges in 2017 and 18," he said. "I'm not saying that's a bad project or anything like that.
"But at this particular juncture, we don't have the money."