State employee pay raise is key part of -billion state budget approved by Missouri lawmakers

State employee pay raise is key part of $51-billion state budget approved by Missouri lawmakers

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher (R-Des Peres), left, listens as Governor Mike Parson delivers his January 24, 2024 State of the State address in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Jefferson City’s approximately 14,000 state employees will receive a 3.2 percent pay raise starting in July, under a $51.7 billion state operating budget approved Friday by Missouri lawmakers.

State employee pay has been a priority for Missouri Governor Mike Parson, who notes his administration has raised state employee pay by more than 20 percent since he took office in 2018. Missouri’s state employees received an 8.7 percent pay raise in February 2023, under a bipartisan plan proposed by the governor.

House Speaker Dean Plocher (R-Des Peres) praises the budget approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature on Friday, saying it protects the surplus and invests in infrastructure. Speaker Plocher says the budget saves $1.5 billion dollars for emergencies.