State Sen. Jill Carter discusses Missouri budget challenges, long-term spending reforms on KZRG Morning Newswatch

JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri State Sen. Jill Carter (R-Granby) joined the KZRG Morning Newswatch on Tuesday morning to discuss the state’s ongoing budget process, the push for smarter long-term spending, support for families with disabilities, and efforts to provide property tax relief for disabled veterans.

Carter, who represents Missouri’s 32nd Senatorial District covering parts of Jasper and Newton counties, fielded questions about the $50.3 billion operating budget passed by the House and now under consideration in the Senate. She described the Senate’s role in reviewing House recommendations, incorporating the governor’s proposals, and making targeted adjustments through the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“We are in a budget deficit,” Carter said. “We have overspent historically. We need to rein in our spending. We need to rein in our spending. We need to deregulate a lot of what it is that we've been doing for a long time.”

She emphasized the need for intentional cuts while protecting programs that deliver long-term savings and investing in infrastructure that “moves the needle” for Missouri families.

Key areas of discussion in the Senate include the foundation formula for public education and self-directed services for individuals with disabilities. Carter pushed back against proposed cuts to self-directed services in the House version, arguing that eliminating or reducing the program would force families to quit jobs, place loved ones in institutions, or increase hospital stays — ultimately costing the state far more.

“Holistically, we have to decide where we invest long-term and what are good cuts versus things that would actually cost the state more if we don’t keep them,” she explained.

Carter highlighted her Charity Act (SB 1062), which has passed the Senate and moved to the House as a governor’s priority. The legislation aims to connect caseworkers with community resources — including churches and neighbors — to provide targeted support, such as an extra bed for children, to help keep families together and reduce foster care placements. She told listeners the state doesn’t have a resource problem so much as a “connectivity problem,” and local communities often hold better solutions than top-down bureaucracy.

On government efficiency, Carter, who serves on the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, said the panel is focused on identifying unfilled positions that can be eliminated from budgets and rolling back unnecessary bureaucracy, particularly in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the state’s second-largest budget item.

“We’ve just allowed [government] to get too bloated,” she said, calling for deregulation to give schools and parents more local control.

A listener asked about progress on property tax relief for disabled veterans. Carter confirmed the issue remains an ongoing priority but has faced delays in the House. She noted that nearly every surrounding state offers such exemptions and urged veterans and constituents to continue contacting lawmakers. Related measures, including efforts to expand exemptions for 100% service-connected disabled veterans and their surviving spouses, continue to be navigated alongside broader property and income tax discussions.

Carter stressed the importance of long-term thinking in Jefferson City, noting that term limits and lack of follow-up reporting often prevent lawmakers from seeing the full effects of legislation. She cited an example where the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requested millions for new assessments without complying with statutory reporting requirements to a joint legislative committee — a move she successfully challenged to remove from the budget.