State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released her seventh report detailing state government’s use of federal stimulus dollars intended for the COVID-19 response. In March, Auditor Galloway announced that her office would examine the state’s distribution and spending of funding received under the CARES Act and other federal assistance programs passed by Congress.
The most recent report shows Missouri’s spending of federal assistance for the month of November, as well as the cumulative expenditures since the state began receiving funding in April. Through Nov. 30, Missouri has received $3.175 billion and spent $1.95 billion of this assistance. In November, the state spent $432.7 million.
In early December, the legislature passed and the Governor signed a supplemental appropriations bill to spend an additional $1.27 billion in additional CARES Act funds available to the state.
A significant portion of the expenditures to date were for services through the state’s Medicaid program, MO HealthNet, and other programs receiving federal matching funds ($482 million), and funding passed through to counties and the City of St. Louis ($521 million). Other funding has been provided to schools, institutions of higher education, child care providers, and nursing facilities; and used for food and nutrition programs, mental health services, purchase of personal protective equipment, and other disaster relief purposes. The state also is currently using $250 million of COVID-19 relief funding for cash management needs in the General Revenue Fund. The General Assembly has authorized up to $750 million for that purpose; those funds must be repaid to the State Emergency Management Federal Stimulus Fund prior to June 30, 2021.
In addition to the monthly report examining the state’s spending, the Auditor’s Office also has an online tool to give Missourians a detailed look at expenditures. The COVID-19 Response page tracks not only how much is received and expended in relief funds, but also lists which state and local government departments, vendors, and expense categories are receiving the most funding. The information on the website provides data on expenditures and is updated regularly.
Auditor Galloway’s efforts are similar to work performed by the previous State Auditor’s administration, which reviewed the state’s use of funds received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Under Article IV, Section 13 of the Missouri Constitution, the State Auditor has a duty to ensure the accuracy of the state’s accounting of its spending.
A copy of the report on Missouri spending of federal assistance can be found here.
