JEFFERSON CITY (AP) -- Rising prices at Missouri gas pumps aren't just hitting consumers hard. The state is also feeling the pinch.
The state's budget director says the Highway Patrol will need more money for fuel, and other state agencies could have to make cuts to their current budgets to pay for gasoline.
Budget Director Linda Luebbering says rising fuel prices are also driving up the cost of transporting food, which is leading to higher bills at the state's prisons and mental health facilities.
Part of the pump price is Missouri's 17-cent-per-gallon gas tax. The state Department of Transportation says it's seeing less tax money for roads and bridges. In each of the last 11 months, consumers have purchased less gasoline than in the same month a year earlier.
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