Budget committee passes FRA renewal along with bill targeting Planned Parenthood

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The House Budget Committee nearly unanimously passed the Senate’s FRA renewal package Tuesday afternoon.

SB 1, which renews the Medicaid provider tax for three years, passed 27-2 out of committee with Republican Reps. Sara Walsh and Richard West as the lone no votes. The full House is set to convene Wednesday morning to take up the package.

The FRA renewal bill also included a provision banning Medicaid coverage of abortifacients. Rep. Cody Smith, who chairs the Budget Committee and presented the Senate bill, said it was “misleading” to call this bill a “clean FRA” because of the additional provision.

Missouri Right to Life testified against the package because it did not include more stringent anti-abortion language. After the Senate approved the legislation in an early morning vote Saturday, the organization said it was “disappointed” in the 12 GOP senators who voted against an amendment that would prohibit outright Medicaid dollars from going to abortion providers and their affiliates.

Read more: https://themissouritimes.com/budget-committee-passes-fra-renewal-along-with-bill-targeting-planned-parenthood/