Parson proposes $1.3 million for Missouri Task Force 1 after veto last year
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
After funding for Missouri Task Force 1 was vetoed last year, Gov. Mike Parson proposed $1.3 million for the specialized disaster response team in his budget plan.
The governor outlined his legislative priorities and budget plans during his State of the State address last week. Parson proposed a $52 billion budget for fiscal 2025, which includes funds for Missouri Task Force 1 operations, equipment and training.
Of that $1.3 million proposed for Missouri Task Force 1, over $600,000 would be designated for equipment and $500,000 to fund advanced training.
"We also were able to get $500,000 for advanced training, which is an exercise that we do at the Guardian Center in Georgia, which is a full scale exercise that we participate in. And we actually can communicate back to SEMA on the SEOC floor (State Emergency Operations Center) and we can have communications. They can actually see what we're doing real time and follow that training," said Missouri Task Force 1 Spokesperson Gale Blomenkamp.
Blomenkamp explained that the state funding is important to Task Force 1, because all the members are training on a volunteer basis. They don't get paid by FEMA unless they're deployed to a natural disaster.
"The 210 members come from all across the state of Missouri from every corner and everywhere in between," Blomenkamp said. "We have members that travel up to 3 hours just to get here, to either deploy and or to do trainings."
Last year, Parson vetoed $555 million from the state budget, including at least $1.4 million in funding for Missouri Task Force 1. Although the Missouri House of Representatives voted to restore more than $43 million to the state budget, the Senate did not take up any vetoes before adjourning. A $550,000 appropriation for training stayed in the 2024 fiscal year budget signed this month by Parson.
Blomenkamp told ABC 17 News the funding approved last year wasn't enough for on-site disaster training.
"Some of that funding that that unfortunately was vetoed last year was for some of the advanced training and exercise and some equipment that we have identified needs for," Blomenkamp said.
Parson said last year his vetoes were done because the General Assembly's budget was $1.7 billion larger than his recommendations. Parson's proposed 2025 budget leaves $1.5 billion on the bottom line.
The state maintains billions of dollars in reserve.
The Missouri House Budget Committee began regular hearings on the governor's budget proposals following the State of the State. The committee did try to get a head start on the budget this year with early hearings in December.
