And another victory for the Republicans at the Capitol:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. | Lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a $350 million plan to finance college buildings with student loan agency money, delivering a victory to Gov. Matt Blunt after more than a year of political and legal wrangling.

The Republican-led House sent the GOP governor his higher education package on a largely party-line 91-64 vote. The Senate passed the bill last month, 23-11.

But the fight may not be over. A Democratic lawmaker vowed Monday to use a rare citizen petition to try to put the legislation to a statewide vote.

Attempts to give the electorate more say on how their tax dollars are spent would be welcome on many occasions– this isn’t one of them. The push to prolong their futile fight against the GOP initiative proves desperation is the last refuge of scoundrels.

UPDATE: Statement from the Governor:

“This is a historic day for higher education in Missouri. Today we delivered a strong message to Missouri’s college students and their families that education is Missouri’s highest priority. With this action, Missouri students from all walks of life will benefit from additional scholarships, more predictable tuition costs and new state-of-the-art learning centers that will give them a competitive edge in the workforce. I applaud the General Assembly’s work on this historic higher education package and look forward to signing this bill. I am especially grateful to Sen. Nodler and Rep. Bearden for their work on this critical legislation.”

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