Settlement from VW cheating scandal helps shore up Missouri budget

JEFFERSON CITY • Missouri’s share of a settlement stemming from Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal is relieving some of the pressure on the state budget.

A day after Attorney General Chris Koster transferred an $8.7 million share of the automaker’s settlement into the state’s general fund, Gov. Jay Nixon announced he would use the money to offset earlier cuts he made to the $27 billion budget.

Of the money, $4.5 million will go to local school transportation costs. He earlier had slashed that spending by $16.5 million after lawmakers defied his veto of a handful of tax breaks.

He also restored a $3 million cut to biodiesel subsidies and released $1.2 million in funding to the State Emergency Management Agency to support disaster responses.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/settlement-from-vw-cheating-scandal-helps-shore-up-missouri-budget/article_6a816538-ec95-5092-999b-761ec816cf5d.html