Sen. Hough cuts funds for AG Eric Schmitt; vaccine restrictions stripped from budget

JEFFERSON CITY — Senators charged with altering the state budget passed by the House completed their changes Wednesday evening, removing dollars allocated to the attorney general's office and stripping out language pertaining to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Springfield Republican Sen. Lincoln Hough opted to remove $500,000 in new spending for AG Eric Schmitt's office, pointing to Schmitt's numerous lawsuits against school districts and local jurisdictions during the last year over COVID-19 restrictions.

Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, also sent letters to local health agencies late last year after a circuit court ruling, resulting in many of them halting COVID-related operations under the threat of litigation. Schmitt has also sued several districts, including the state's largest in Hough's district, over concerns surrounding race and equity curricula.

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"Our attorney general continues to sue most of the citizens of this state," Hough said. "I don't know why we're giving him another half million dollars."

The money, which was not included in Gov. Mike Parson's budget proposal but was added during the House budget process, was intended to fund "five additional attorneys for the solicitor general's office," according to budget documents.

Hough told the News-Leader after the hearing that the funding item didn't indicate the hiring of any new employees and that he was reticent to allocate more money for a "sue-happy" attorney general. It may come back up for discussion when House and Senate members meet in conference to finalize the budget.

Hough doubled down in a Twitter post early Thursday morning in response to a Schmitt tweet criticizing masking policy.

"So maybe stop using our tax dollars to 'save our liberty' to sue the people of Missouri," Hough wrote.

Schmitt's office is poised to receive around $27 million under the current proposed budget, which goes towards the office's operations as well as programs aimed at curbing domestic violence and prosecuting violent crime.

"We will continue to fight government overreach at all levels with whatever resources the legislature gives us," said Schmitt's spokesperson Chris Nuelle.

The AG's office did not say whether they planned to request that the funds be added back during the conference process.

Senators made significant additions to the budget earlier this week, including adding $31 million for starting teacher salary increases and more than $200 million to fully fund school transportation. 

Senate scratches restrictions on events based on vaccination requirements

The Senate also removed language attached to all budget bills by the House that would have barred state funds from going to general admissions events that required or asked about COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test.

Budget chair Sen. Dan Hegeman, a Cosby Republican, took only a few seconds to axe the language that had seen strong opposition in the House by Democrats and a few Republicans. The decision prompted no discussion among Senate committee members.

"I would take a Senate position of 'nope,'" Hegeman said.

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Leaders in the upper chamber expressed doubt last week that the language would remain, with the majority leader calling it a "can of worms that I'm not even sure we know the size of."

Opponents in the House said as written, it could create significant obstacles for universities, veterans' homes and other entities that receive state funding and regularly hold events, but the measure saw majority support in a Republican-led House that has consistently opposed regulations and guidelines surrounding COVID-19 and vaccination.

Senate leaders react to Hough's removal of AG funds

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican, called Hough's removal of the funds for Schmitt's office a "will of the body decision.

"I honestly don't know how that would play out if it happens on the floor," Rowden said. "It's the prerogative of the committee to do things that they think serves the people of Missouri well, and so that's where the committee ended up."

Minority Leader John Rizzo, a Democrat from Independence, called Schmitt's lawsuits "pretty embarassing" and urged him to focus his office's efforts elsewhere.

"I think half a million dollars is probably not enough but it's something that obviously needed to be done," Rizzo said.

"I just wish he would be more professional about how he goes about his business and stops running for the U.S. Senate with state taxpayer dollars."

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.