{"id":8803,"date":"2026-02-26T05:55:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T11:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/26\/ousted-gop-budget-chair-unveils-alternative-missouri-budget-to-governors-plan\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T05:55:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T11:55:43","slug":"ousted-gop-budget-chair-unveils-alternative-missouri-budget-to-governors-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/26\/ousted-gop-budget-chair-unveils-alternative-missouri-budget-to-governors-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Ousted GOP budget chair unveils alternative Missouri budget to governor\u2019s plan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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State Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Republican from Springfield, on Wednesday proposed an alternative budget that boosts funding for public schools. Hough, who was removed as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee last year, is shown on the first day of the 2024 legislative session (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent).<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Republican lawmaker stripped of his influence on the state budget for <\/span>bucking GOP leadership<\/span><\/a> struck back Wednesday by introducing an alternative to <\/span>Gov. Mike Kehoe\u2019s spending plan<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

State Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican, was removed as Senate Appropriations Committee chairman in September, just 20 minutes after he voted against shutting off debate on bills to weaken the initiative petition process and gerrymander the state\u2019s congressional districts. Hough later lost the seat on the committee, which he had held for his previous seven years in the Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a scathing attack Wednesday, Hough said the budget the governor proposed in January shortchanges schools, makes \u201c<\/span>devastating cuts to the providers and services that people back at home depend on\u201d and uses budgetary gimmicks to balance spending and revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n

His alternative budget, Hough said during debate Wednesday, spends less general revenue than Kehoe proposed even after accounting for increases for public schools and higher education, as well as <\/span>reversing cuts proposed by the governor to services for people with disabilities<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

To make his plan work, Hough would take $451 million from <\/span>funding set aside in 2022<\/span><\/a> and 2023 for renovation and expansion of the Missouri Capitol Building.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do not believe, at a time when we are underfunding education and not investing in our communities and not investing in our people back at home, that we can sit on half a billion dollars to maybe repaint the walls of the Capitol,\u201d Hough said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hough must leave office this year because of term limits. The alternative budget is his parting shot and, he said, an example for future lawmakers who want to change spending priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can do this on your own,\u201d Hough said. \u201cIt is going to take a little bit of work and lucky for me, I\u2019ve got a bit of time to work on it this year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The introduction of the bills does not mean they will receive action any time soon. There are 100 Senate bills that must be assigned to committees before Hough\u2019s new measures, and persuading Senate leadership to allow a hearing will be challenging.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the bills will be waiting when the Missouri House, which traditionally goes first on the budget proposals, sends bills funding state government to the Senate sometime next month.<\/span><\/p>\n

Missouri is facing a fiscal cliff after several years of huge general revenue surpluses. Over the two most recent fiscal years, the state has spent $28.7 billion from the general revenue fund while taking in $26.8 billion in revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the budget year that ends June 30, lawmakers have appropriated $16.2 billion from general revenue while anticipating $13.1 billion in revenue. Kehoe\u2019s budget projects general revenue appropriations for all needs at\u00a0 $17 billion in the coming year, with revenues projected at $13.6 billion.<\/span><\/p>\n

A general revenue fund balance that peaked at $5.8 billion at the end of June 2023 would stand at $265 million on June 30, 2027, under Kehoe\u2019s budget proposal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hough said his budget does not rely on not spending money from appropriations, while Kehoe is asking lawmakers to authorize $1.1 billion that he does not expect to actually spend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Major differences between Hough\u2019s plan and Kehoe\u2019s include:<\/span><\/p>\n