The candidates for Missouri House of Representatives District 50 answered the following questions from News Tribune readers about state budget priorities and Missouri's conservation sales tax.
Incumbent Rep. Sara Walsh, a Republican from Ashland, is challenged by Kari Chesney, a Democrat from Columbia.
What would your top three state budget priorities be?
Sara Walsh: As a member of the House Budget Committee and chair of the subcommittee on appropriations for Corrections, Public Safety, Transportation and Revenue, my top budget priorities are:
1. Ensure public safety is adequately funded, including securing funding for Missouri Task Force 1.
2. Continue to invest in education and workforce development, including continued broadband development and infrastructure (roads and bridges).
3. Assess the state's response to date regarding the COVID-19 pandemic (what worked, what didn't) and enact policy and appropriations accordingly.
Kari Chesney: My top three budget priorities if elected would be: revitalizing funding for our public schools to ensure all vital resources needed by our districts are paid and accounted for; fully funding our law enforcement departments and providing additional funds for community policing and programs that pair mental health and addiction specialists with our first responders; and supporting our Missouri-owned farms so they are able to compete with the large coastal and international factory farms our current legislators have allowed to profit off of Missouri land.
The Missouri Department of Conservation does not receive general revenue funding but is directly funded by a one-eighth of 1 percent sales tax that was passed in 1976. Some state legislators have recently proposed changes to this sales tax - either to have voters regularly approve whether the tax continues to exist, or to use it to also fund other state government programs. Do you support the conservation sales tax as it's currently structured, or would you propose changing it somehow?
Walsh: I believe in regular review of all areas of government to ensure accountability and transparency. With regards to state departments and their expenditures, my colleagues and I perform a review through the House Budget Committee. My primary focus in the upcoming session will be on ensuring public safety and education are adequately funded and ensuring government accountability. The drafters of Medicaid expansion were not fully transparent in that no funding source was identified, meaning $200 million-$350 million likely will need to be cut from other existing priorities in our state budget in order to fund this new expansion.
Chesney: I would support continuing the conservation tax as it stands now. Missouri's public green spaces are one of the biggest drivers of tourism to the state. However, our current representatives have toyed with the idea of selling off public lands to private buyers. Not only would this destroy a big part of our tourism industry, but it would devastate hunting, fishing, hiking and so many other outdoor activities Missourians love. We should be supporting our Department of Conservation and supporting our green spaces for the future of Missouri.