JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Missouri lawmakers have approved an additional $700 million of spending this year, primarily to fund higher-than-expected costs in the Medicaid health care program for low-income residents.
The Senate gave final approval Thursday to the supplemental budget bill, sending it to Gov. Eric Greitens. The House approved it earlier this month.
The bill adds nearly $705 million of spending authority to the roughly $27.7 billion budget for the 2018 fiscal year that runs through June.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dan Brown says Medicaid costs account for about $622 million of that increase.
The legislation includes a mixture of federal, state and other funding sources. State general revenues account for $162 million of the additional spending, which is more than lawmakers had originally expected to spend on a mid-year budget adjustment.
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