Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder Press Releases
July 24, 2012
Lt. Governor Peter Kinder again set to return portion of budget to state
Plans website to identify, investigate government waste, fraud and abuse
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder today announced he will again return part of his office budget to the state.
Since 2009, the lieutenant governor's office budget has decreased nearly 10 percent. In spite of those decreases, Kinder has returned an average of 7.5 percent of his budget to the state during that span. He will again return about 7.5 percent of his budget this year.
Earlier this year, Kinder returned his official car to the state, asking that vehicle be sold and the proceeds be put in the state's General Revenue fund. He has returned more than 5 percent, over average, of his budget to the state each year he has been lieutenant government.
"This is a trend I started when I was elected President Pro Tem of the Missouri Senate in 2001 and trimmed the Senate Budget the following year by almost 10 percent," Kinder said. "While my office budget has been cut each year, I've continued to return unspent funds to the state."
Kinder has also saved taxpayers' money by paying all of his official travel expenses since 2009.
In addition to finding ways to save taxpayer money in his office, Kinder soon will launch a website aimed at saving money statewide. The Lieutenant Governor's Waste Report is a website created to call attention to, investigate and help eliminate waste, mismanagement and inefficiency in government.
The website, the launch of which is imminent, is a way for the lieutenant governor to use his unique status as the only statewide elected office with both legislative and executive duties to act as a watchdog for taxpayers.
"This website will give government workers and the taxpaying public the opportunity to report instances of wasteful spending," Kinder said. "My hope for this site is to hold our state government to greater accountability and restore the confidence of our taxpayers that their hard-earned dollars are being spent wisely. This program also will encourage state agencies to seek out and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in their own agencies."