JEFFERSON CITY • Missouri lawmakers are poised to block the use of state funds to upgrade the home of the St. Louis Blues hockey club.

Tucked into a draft of the proposed state budget for the coming fiscal year is language barring the state from spending money on new or refinanced bonds associated with “building renovations for an entertainment and sports arena located at 1401 Clark Avenue, St. Louis.”

That address is the Scottrade Center, home to the Blues, other sporting events and countless concerts, including a show by Justin Bieber on Tuesday night.

The maneuver comes after the Republican-led House and Senate spent much of the last year fighting with Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, over funding for upgrades to another big venue: the former home of the St. Louis Rams.

Lawmakers said the use of state money to help keep the Rams in town should be put to a vote of all Missourians.

In January, after the NFL had announced the Rams would be leaving their downtown dome for a new home in California, city officials raised the specter of renovating Scottrade.