A Missouri Senate committee is preparing to consider the final sticking points to conclude its work on the state's operating budget.
Issues up for discussion Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee include basic aid for public schools and an expansion of a college scholarship for top Missouri students. The panel could also look at funding for a state takeover of an old hospital site in Jefferson City and a new maintenance shed for the Highway Patrol to replace a building destroyed by a fire.
The committee's plan would advance to the full Senate for consideration. The House passed its budget proposal earlier this year. Lawmakers have until May 9 to pass their roughly $26 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
