Parson vetoes money for Columbia veterans homeless shelter, Jefferson City senior transportation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Among the more than 170 line-item vetoes issued Friday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson were funding for a homeless shelter for veterans in Columbia and senor transportation in Jefferson City.

Parson took action on the state budget bills Friday, ahead of the end of the state's fiscal year on Sunday. Parson in a news release called the budget after his veto actions "conservative and balanced." He issued 173 line-item vetoes worth about $1 billion in funding.

Those vetoes include a $1 million state grant for a veterans-only homeless shelter in Columbia. In his veto letter, Parson says the state has funded $7.5 million in homeless services in Columbia over the past two years, including $1.5 million for veterans specifically.

Columbia also lost $6 million meant for a sports park.

Parson also vetoed nearly $3.2 million in funding to create and implement a program for transit services for seniors, veterans and disabled people in Platte and Clay counties and Jefferson City. Parson's budget also cut about $500,000 in funding for a Family Resource Center in Jefferson City.

The Missouri State Historical Society in Columbia lost $611,000 in funding for operations that legislators had approved.

A Jefferson City paring garage saw funding slashed from $10 million to $2 million, with Parson saying legislators over appropriated and should find funds from other sources.

The governor also vetoed $2.5 million for firearm detection software in schools, writing in his veto letter that the legislation appeared to describe a specific vendor's platform in violation of state purchasing laws.

And Camden County lost $3.5 million to improve its fairgrounds.

The fiscal 2025 operation budget totals about $50.5 billion.