Frustrated by COVID lawsuits, Missouri Senate committee cuts attorney general's budget

A Southwest Missouri Republican upset with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s aggressive campaign of lawsuits against local governments and school districts cut $500,000 from Schmitt’s budget on Wednesday.

Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, won committee support for cutting money added by the Missouri House. The extra funds would have allowed Schmitt to hire five additional attorneys for the office’s Solicitor General unit, which represents the state in major appellate and constitutional litigation.

“As our attorney general continues to sue most of the citizens of this state, I don’t know why we are giving him another half million dollars,” Hough said.

The appropriation was in the spending bill that provides funds for elected officials, the judiciary and the Office of Public Defender. It is awaiting a final vote, along with 12 other appropriation bills, that will send it to the Senate floor for debate.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2022-04-21/frustrated-by-covid-lawsuits-missouri-senate-committee-cuts-attorney-generals-budget