The budget needs another vote in each chamber, but lawmakers appear to be on track to meet Friday's constitutional deadline.

The stalemate appeared likely to make the budget talks bump up against a May 11 constitutional deadline to send a budget to Gov. Jay Nixon. Missouri's new budget year begins July 1.

Efforts to move the state's budget along in the legislative process got delayed for a few hours Tuesday by the small renegade group of state Senators who have objected to the Senate's budget process.

The Missouri Senate signed off on a $24 billion budget plan early Wednesday that would provide a raise to the lowest-paid state workers in the nation and spare blind residents from a potential cut to their government-funded health care plan.

Senators have developed plans to keep funding steady for higher education while offering a small boost to public school districts.

Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee are searching for ways to avoid funding cuts for both higher education and health care services for the blind as they started work on next year's $24 billion budget.

As the state Senate prepares to come up with its version of the state budget, Governor Nixon wants to add another $68 million to the pot.

Missouri Republicans praise it for avoiding tax increases, but Democrats oppose cuts.

Confirming Polk County Judge Brad McCall's ruling in December 2011, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled days ago that gubernatorial redirection of money struck through in a line-item veto is unconstitutional. Now, the judicial and legislative branches of government are also questioning governors' use of budget powers and whether it exceeds the bounds of proscribed power.

Republicans and Democrats on the House budget committee have attempted to assert more control over the thousands of specific appropriations listed in Missouri's proposed budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which starts July 1. That comes after some lawmakers believe Gov. Jay Nixon made rather generous use of his budgetary powers as Missouri was pummeled by floods and tornadoes last year.

Shifting public pensions from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans could generate higher returns for pensioners while limiting the risk to the public when pensions do not perform well.

The primary benefit to society of a greater reliance on defined contribution plans is that individuals would be more directly responsible for their own retirement funds, as opposed to relying on taxpayers for support. Public employees are as capable as the rest of the working public to provide for their retirements.

A public pension fund that provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits for state employees, retirees and their families in Missouri generated a return of 14.3 percent for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010.

it is time for Missouri to consider alternative modes of financing highways and bridges as we attempt to deal with MoDOT's projected shortfall in the billions over the next 20 years.

Shifting public pensions from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans could generate higher returns for pensioners while limiting the risk to the public when pensions do not perform well.

The primary benefit to society of a greater reliance on defined contribution plans is that individuals would be more directly responsible for their own retirement funds, as opposed to relying on taxpayers for support. Public employees are as capable as the rest of the working public to provide for their retirements.

Shifting public pensions from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans could generate higher returns for pensioners while limiting the risk to the public when pensions do not perform well.

The primary benefit to society of a greater reliance on defined contribution plans is that individuals would be more directly responsible for their own retirement funds, as opposed to relying on taxpayers for support. Public employees are as capable as the rest of the working public to provide for their retirements.

A public pension fund that provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits for state employees, retirees and their families in Missouri generated a return of 14.3 percent for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010.

This all boils down to who gets to pick taxpayers' pockets first, public pensioners or municipal bond investors? More people are waking up to the hard reality that when it comes to state and local government, somebody has to lose money over the next few decades. The National Association of Bond Lawyers is worried enough about it to issue "Considerations" for advising clients who think they're getting safe investments.

Despite an organized campaign to stop public pension reform, reality is beginning to break through.  One recent report outlines a possible path to long-term solutions and another details the necessity of states and municipalities finding their own way because federal bailout is impossible.  And Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel released a plan that could have been based on both reports.

Hey, young public employees, what are you going to do when your pension checks bounce after you paid in for decades? That is what will happen in many - maybe all - states and municipalities sooner or later if they do not reform right now. If you want to see the future, just look at Illinois. One citizen there did, and came up with a real reform plan that might work.

Public employees should take their pension money now and run to avoid risk of getting reduced benefits - or nothing - in the future. It's the best deal for them and for taxpayers. A growing chorus of credible voices including the Government Accountability Office, a Federal Reserve bank and now the Harvard Kennedy School Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government confirm state and local government finances are "spiraling out of control" and even draconian reforms only make it "more likely" that future benefits will paid in full.

Hey, young public employees, what are you going to do when your pension checks bounce after you paid in for decades? That is what will happen in many - maybe all - states and municipalities sooner or later if they do not reform right now. If you want to see the future, just look at Illinois. One citizen there did, and came up with a real reform plan that might work.

This is what it sounds like when the Federal Reserve Bank screams: "Much has been written about the various headwinds restraining economic activity over the near term. However, our economy also has other headwinds to confront over the medium- to-longer-term. ... the finances of some state and local governments are also under stress and in need of serious adjustments."  - Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Sandra Pianalto

Brady Deaton, Chancellor of the University of Missouri, said diminishing state funding for the University of Missouri attributed to its decision to move from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Not only will agricultural subsidies legislation disproportionately affect the budgets of Heartland states, it also may play a more influential role in the upcoming Presidential election than a cursory count of electoral votes and voting trends indicate.