JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (AP) -- Twenty-nine members of the House Budget Committee met in a morning-to-midnight marathon in Hearing Room 3 to hash out the details of Missouri's $22.8 billion budget.
But the real work had already been done behind the closed doors of State Capitol Room 306. That's the office of House Budget Committee Chairman Allen Icet, whose power over Missouri's money has grown stronger because of an evolution of House rules and tradition.
As control wielded by the House budget chairman has risen, the ability of other lawmakers to influence the budget has declined. So has the ability of the general public to comment about the proposed budget.
Candy Young, a political science professor at Truman State University, says she's appalled at the change in the way Missouri's
budget is crafted.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKTVO