Senate Appropriations Chair Criticizes Nixon for Lack of Budget Transparency
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Senate Appropriations Chair Criticizes Nixon for Lack of Budget Transparency

Date: March 16, 2015
By: Jill Ornitz
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: 
Senate Appropriations Chair Kurt Schaefer criticized Governor Nixon's lack of budgetary transparency during a committee meeting
RunTime:  0:33
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Columbia Republican Senator Kurt Schaefer told the Appropriations Committee Governor Jay Nixon's decision to omit specific figures from his budget indicates a lack of transparency into government spending.

Actuality:  KUSCHAF1.WAV
Run Time:  00:11
Description: "Well, and the governor just keeps giving us this line with a one-dollar E. And I think all of us agree that's not transparent. Regardless of what the number is you have to let the public know what the number is."

Schaefer said this kind of budgeting could lead the public to underestimate the amount of money being spent in the statehouse.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Jill Ornitz.

Intro: 
Senate Appropriations Chair Kurt Schaefer told a committee Jay Nixon's budgeting could lead the public to underestimate how much money the statehouse is spending.
RunTime:  0:32
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Columbia Republican Kurt Schaefer told the appropriations committee Jay Nixon's ommission of concrete budget figures could trick Missourians into thinking their government spends significantly less then it actually does.

Actuality:  KUSCHAF2.WAV
Run Time:  00:09
Description: "And then, if we need to talk about adjusting that number we adjust it. But you don't even ever get to that if it looks like you're spending one dollar when in reality you're spending 223 million."

Schaefer said the governor provides budgets with one-line E's listed as amounts instead of including concrete dollar amounts.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Jill Ornitz.