Mo. Budget wipes out funds to departments involved in license scandal
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Mo. Budget wipes out funds to departments involved in license scandal

Date: April 22, 2013
By: Christine Roto
State Capitol Bureau
Links: HB 4

Intro: 
After weeks of grilling the Revenue Department on its new license process, one state lawmaker kept his word to cut its funding.
RunTime:  0:37
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Senate Appropriations Chairman, Republican Kurt Schaefer, says he slashed the Department of Motor Vehicles funding to zero because it was not using the money in the state's best interest by storing and sharing personal documents with federal agencies.

A few Democratic senators questioned the cut, asking how the department will be able to run efficiently with less funding.

Actuality:  SCH01.WAV
Run Time:  00:07
Description: "If they're doing something that I believe is a violation of state law, we're going to have to have a commitment that they will stop doing that."

Schaefer says after he receives that commitment, then he will consider restoring its funding.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Christine Roto.

Intro: 
A Missouri lawmaker has kept his promise to cut funds from the state departments involved in the recent license scandal.
RunTime:  0:30
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Appropriations Chairman, Republican Senator Kurt Schaefer, wiped the Department of Motor Vehicles budget to zero and made deep cuts to the Office of Administration's IT funds.

Democratic Senator Jolie Justus asked Schaefer how the departments can get their funding back.

Actuality:  JUST2.WAV
Run Time:  00:05
Description: "I have some fundamental concerns that you may not get the answers that you are looking for because it just, it happened."

But Schaefer said all they need to do is make a commitment to stop scanning and sharing the documents.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Christine Roto.

Intro: 
A Missouri lawmaker says the controversy over the state's Revenue Department forced him to severely cut its funding.
RunTime:  0:48
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: The Senate floor debated slashing the Department of Motor Vehicle's budget to zero and deeply cutting the Office of Administration's IT department.

A few Democratic senators questioned who will be most affected by the cuts and how those departments can continue to run efficiently.

Appropriations chairman, Republican Senator Kurt Schaefer says the cuts were made because the departments took part in sending residents' private information to federal agencies without any public notice.

Actuality:  SHB41.WAV
Run Time:  00:08
Description: "What I've learned from going throughout the state is they don't want that. They want their driver's license, they want some security in the procedure, but they don't want to have to give up all their privacy to do it."

Schaefer says the departments still have a few weeks to make the commitment to stop scanning and sharing personal documents before the cuts are finalized. 

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Christine Roto.