Much of the political discussion this year about policy has been about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for reform in policing and criminal justice, but there are also questions about how to manage the Missouri's finances - and pandemic-driven withholds have brought attention to state budget priorities.
Four candidates are running for election Nov. 3 to a full term as Missouri's governor - Republican Gov. Mike Parson, Democratic State Auditor Nicole Galloway, Libertarian candidate Rik Combs and Green Party candidate Jerome Bauer.
The News Tribune asked the candidates about their views on the state's conservation sales tax and what their state budget priorities would be.
Their responses may have been edited for length or clarity.
What would your top three state budget priorities be?
Mike Parson: We need to continue implementing our Show-Me Strong Recovery plan for the health of our citizens and the health of our economy and small businesses. I've made clear two of my priorities are workforce development and infrastructure, and building on a strong foundation we have created for these investments. We need to continue our strong investments in our children, specifically K-12 and higher education.
Nicole Galloway: We will never get our budget stabilized until we contain the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus, which is threatening a full economic recovery. The first priority is to get the public health emergency under control. My plan does that. Next, we have more than a billion dollars in unspent CARES Act money just sitting unused. Gov. Parson should have done something with this money months ago. His CARES Act advisory group hasn't met since July. I will be far more engaged in ensuring this money gets used. Doing these two things enables us to reverse the massive cuts to education.
Rik Combs: Priorities must begin with infrastructure. Roads and bridges in Missouri must be addressed and this decade. Infrastructure is the building block for Missouri's economy, and a degraded or obsolescent infrastructure hinders Missouri's ability to conduct commerce, travel, tourism and compete for residents, companies and jobs. Also important is safety and security - with today's chaotic and uncertain environment, government has the responsibility to provide a measure of security for its residents. Lastly, our health care situation must be addressed with the increased Medicaid numbers and that ballooning budget situation.
Jerome Bauer: 1. Universal health care and universal design. We can do better than Medicaid expansion.
2. Universal education and basic income, in exchange for universal basic service. Let's have free college education and/or vocational training, and a money-backed tuition guarantee for private schools that accept public funds and tax breaks.
3. If elected, I will work cooperatively to build rural and urban worker and consumer-owned cooperative networks of all kinds, to rebuild our social capital. Ask not what Missouri can do for you, ask what you can do for Missouri!
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 is currently structured, or would you propose changing it somehow?
Parson: Missouri has one of the best-in-class conservation programs in the country, which has made substantial and lasting contributions to our state, and support for the Missouri Department of Conservation is definitely something we should continue.
Galloway: I support the current structure and would oppose any change unless the voters said they wanted change.
Combs: The current Missouri Conservation revenue system appears functional and working for the time being. I do not agree with using the funds for other programs, but I am in favor of a periodic vote by Missourians to continue said tax.
Bauer: I favor the status quo for the time being. That said, conservation and sustainable energy are too important to be funded by an unpopular regressive sales tax that disproportionately affects the poor. Let Missouri lead the way with a civilian conservation and infrastructure corps, as part of a comprehensive universal basic service program. Saving our planet is neither left nor right; it's common sense.