Budget proposal to add $500,000 for Nixon's instate travel

Thursday, March 10, 2011 | 7:04 a.m. CST; updated 10:41 a.m. CST, Thursday, March 10, 2011

JEFFERSON CITY — A Missouri House committee has added $500,000 to the governor's budget next year to pay for his instate travel — but it also wants to bar the governor from billing other state agencies for his flights.

The travel allotment is included in a budget proposal for Gov. Jay Nixon's office released Wednesday by the House Budget Committee.

The Associated Press first reported in 2009 that Nixon was charging state agencies for the cost of his flights.

Nixon said the practice was appropriate, especially for events related to the agencies he was billing. House leaders said in January that they would block him from doing that when they drafted the budget for the coming fiscal year.

The House budget plan would prohibit all officials elected statewide from charging travel costs to state agencies.

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