The House voted to approve an appropriations bill Tuesday afternoon that will provide $1.5 million in funding for the future Ashland campus of Ranken Technical College.
The bill, HCS HB 19, passed 102-41 and advanced to the Senate. Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, worked with budget committee chairman Rep. Cody Smith, R-Carthage, to include the project's money.
"I want to thank Chairman Smith and my colleagues on the House Budget Committee for supporting this much-needed funding that will help train our workers for good-paying, family-supporting jobs," Walsh said in a news release.
The workforce training center, which Ranken will operate, has already received a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce Capital Campaign Cabinet, which Walsh also works with, will provide $3 million to match the EDA grant. The appropriations bill contains half of that sum.
A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for Friday morning at the site of the future campus, which is a byproduct of the city of Ashland, the Southern Boone County R-1 School District and the Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission.
"The partnership with Ranken is two-fold," school district Superintendent Chris Felmlee said in a February virtual public information session, "One, it's adult education. But it's also the partnership with the school district and offering kids an opportunity to actually see what a technical college can offer them."
Felmlee said he envisions the campus serving as a "pipeline" for area students to find secure jobs.
As the bill received its third reading on the House floor Tuesday, some lawmakers objected to the breakdown of funds included. Some representatives from the St. Louis area argued in favor of more funding for historically-Black Harris-Stowe State University, saying they felt compelled to vote against the bill.
Lincoln University will receive $4 million "for expansion and renovation of the nursing education facility" as part of the bill. State Technical College will get $5 million "for construction of the Utility Technical Center phase II."
Other lawmakers speaking from the floor objected to the inclusion of about $1 million for new carpet in the House and Senate chambers and $4.2 million for repair of the Capitol's plumbing.
Nonetheless, the bill advances to the Senate for approval before it reaches Gov. Mike Parson. The last day for floor actions on appropriation bills in the Senate is May 7.