Well, that didn't take long. The House just reversed course and approved a budget bill that was voted down last week.
Lawmakers voted 117 to 42 to use more than $335 million in federal stimulus funds for several projects throughout the state. They rejected the exact same legislation last Thursday, arguing that it represented pork-barrel spending that the state could not afford.
On Thursday, lawmakers voted against it 68 to 82, with no votes flowing in from both parties. Republicans decried what they saw as wasteful spending, while Democrats -- feeling pressure from Gov. Jay Nixon -- said the stimulus funds should be saved for next year.
In floor debate this evening, House Budget Chairman Allen Icet defended the bill's line items as wise investments for the state and challenged lawmakers to identify unnecessary items. His argument was apparently pretty persuasive.
Some Republicans who changed their votes said their "no" votes Thursday came in response to misleading statements from Democrats during debate that day. But with a few days to reflect, said Rep. Tim Jones, a St. Louis County Republican, they felt comfortable supporting the bill.
Included in the bill is $111.7 million for an upgraded law-enforcement communications system, $31.1 million for a cancer research center at the University of Missouri-Columbia and $12 million for bus service in the St. Louis area.
Gee, do you think the fact
Gee, do you think the fact that using the Stimulus money for a tax rebate would have been illegal had anything to do with it? If anyone had actually bothered to read the Stimulus legislation, they would have known that a long time ago and this little political drama could have been avoided.