Missouri House Considers Plan for $100M for Roads, Bridges

The Missouri House is moving forward with plans to spend $100 million on roads and bridges.

A budget proposal up for consideration Tuesday in the Republican-led House would use un-earmarked general tax revenue to pay for infrastructure repairs.

The plan is an alternative to Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s plan to borrow roughly $350 million for bridges.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith says he intends to set aside another $100 million for roads for the next several years. He says doing that would save an estimated $100 million in interest that the state would face under Parson’s borrowing plan.

Several Democratic critics on Tuesday said Smith’s plan would take money from the same pot that’s used to pay for public education, public defenders and care for people with developmental disabilities.