Fisher offers update on legislative session

State Representative Barney J. Fisher addresses a crowd of Vernon County movers and shakers at a chamber of commerce luncheon on Friday, May 8. Fisher said legislators had finished their work on the budget, and that education and the University of Missouri Extension has been fully funded. No cuts are in store for sheltered workshops and an increase may even be in store for such organizations -- good news for Quality Products, a workshop in Nevada that has struggled to keep its workers employed and busy over the past few years. Funding for habilitation centers also is strong. Fisher also explained that federal stimulus dollars are being put to used for construction projects, incentives and to stabilize the budget. Fisher said that Missouri is in a better situation than many states, noting that, for example, Kansas is not fully funding education and Illinois is not sending tax refunds to taxpayers; but one facet of Missouri education -- Parents as Teachers -- is taking a 10 percent cut in funding. --Julie Righter/Daily Mail