Missouri Senate debates budget with $450M in spending on ‘pet projects’

More than half a billion dollars in general revenue earmarks added to the Missouri budget for hundreds of local projects or favored vendors will be in play when the final budget negotiations take place next week. The Missouri Senate on Tuesday night began debating 13 spending bills to fund state government operations in the coming year. The bills would appropriate $49.4 billion — $1.5 billion more than the proposal approved in the Missouri House and $700 million less than proposed by Gov. Mike…