TO:  MTC Members

FROM:  Dale Amick - MTC Legislative Consultant

[ CLICK HERE to view the February 23, 2006 Legislative Status Report ]

CAPITOL REPORT

The Missouri House of Representatives has approved a supplemental state budget for the remainder of the current fiscal year that includes one million dollars more for the State Division of Tourism.

 The supplemental budget now goes to the Senate for further consideration.

Gov. Matt Blunt made the one-million-dollar budget recommendation for the Division of Tourism to fund primarily additional advertising in the current fiscal year that ends June 30. The legislature had appropriated 17.8 million dollars for the Division in the current fiscal year, but due to budget limitations the governor cut 4.5 million dollars from that figure.

Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee for Economic Development has approved a Division of Tourism budget for the new fiscal year of 18.2 million dollars. The governor had recommended that full funding for the Division for the new fiscal year beginning July 1.  That budget recommendation now goes to the House Budget Committee for further review. The full House will take up writing a new state budget in several weeks. There may be attempts to move some of the Division funding to other areas of the budget.

A very successful “Tourism Day” at the State Capitol was held Wednesday in Jefferson City . And on Thursday, tourism supporters joined with numerous elected officials in “flipping pancakes” at the annual Tourism Pancake Breakfast for legislators and their staff on the third floor of the Capitol.