JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State lawmakers have eliminated funding for a computer system that archives e-mails sent and received by about 34,000 executive branch employees. 

The e-mail retention system was ordered by former Gov. Matt Blunt after public scrutiny in 2007 about whether his office was deleting some e-mails that should have been saved as public records.

Gov. Jay Nixon recommended $731,780 in next year’s budget to continue the system and expand it to cover the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Department of Natural Resources.

But the money was cut by the House and Senate budget committees.

 Nixon’s budget chief says that means the e-mail archiving system cannot be expanded. But Nixon’s administration plans to use money from its computer technology division to keep operating it.