JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- House budgeters and Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens' administration are clashing over money for a new program Greitens created to fight prescription drug misuse.
House Budget Committee members drilled administration officials Thursday over why they didn't get specific approval from lawmakers to spend money on the program. It's estimated to cost about $470,000 this fiscal year.
Greitens in July announced the program to analyze prescription and dispensing data to catch overprescribing of addictive medications. His announcement came after lawmakers this year failed to pass a different prescription drug monitoring program to track when patients receive addictive prescriptions.
Budget Director Dan Haug argued the administration has the authority and the cash to fund its program. He says it will be paid for with additional funding that unexpectedly came from the federal government.