April 29, 2011

The General Assembly is now working towards the May 13th adjournment date.

The House and Senate focused on their redistricting plan finishing their version of the congressional redistricting eliminating one congressional district in Missouri due to a slower population growth than other states.

The plan will be sent to the Governor. It is anticipated that the Governor will veto the bill and the legislature will attempt an override. The House is 4 votes short of a super majority with the loss of Representative Sally Faith- now Mayor of St. Charles. As has been the case the last two censuses redistricting will go to the courts.

The budget conference committee has been named. House conferees include: Silvey, Stream, Lampe, Flanigan, Nasheed and Kelly. Senate conferees include: Schaefer, Green, Pearce, Curls and Rupp. The budget must be completed by May 6th. Although the cuts are huge the Governor will most likely cut even more after session.

The committee will began its deliberations on Monday morning at 10:00am.

This week was abbreviated as the legislature did not convene until Tuesday.

News this week includes:

Bidding
Increased bidding requirements for public entities has been added to numerous proposals.

Wednesday evening we were successful in deleting the requirements from the omnibus local government legislation HB 889. Chair of Local Government Chuck Gatschenberger has also agreed to delete the language from SB 142 in his committee.

Farm to Table Advisory Board
SB 162 (Munzlinger) handled by Guernsey is now set to go on the House calendar.

The Missouri Department of Health was removed from the board. As per MOALPHA direction I have asked Guernsey and Munzlinger to put DHSS back on the board.

They have agreed to do so by amendment.

“Bath Salts”
Representative Franz’ HB 641 the so called “bath salts” and K3 bill has received approval in Senate Judiciary and is moving forward. The bill expands the illegal cannabinoids substance definition to attempt to end some of the expanding abuse.

DNR Fees
Water fees for DNR were approved Thursday morning in Senate Judiciary. They were set to expire in December meaning the EPA would take over. The fees are paid by developers and businesses. Senator Lager plans a great deal of scrutiny on DNR. One to two weeks remain to pass the bill.

HB 89 will be extended until September 1, 2013.

Tax Amnesty Legislation
The Senate gave first round approval this week to a Senate Substitute for HB 116. The bill merges several significant bills into one measure, including:

• Some of the tax amnesty components contained in the original HB 116;
• Some of the tax credit reforms contained in SB 280;
• A somewhat scaled down version of a new tax credit program known as “Aerotropolis,” which creates a new tax credit designed to spur St. Louis as a “Cargo Hub.”  The components of “Aerotropolis” that remain in the Senate approved version are specific to  “freights and facilities”; and
• Creates MOSIRA, the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act, while including language specifying that it is “subject to appropriations.”

The tax credit reforms within the Senate-approved measure are scaled back considerably from what was previously proposed. Changes were not made to limit the size of “Contribution Tax Credits.

The original bill is designed to raise $80 million and the Governor backs HB 116.

Senate Approves High-Deductible Coverage Bill
The Missouri Senate has approved a Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill 270 with an amendment. The bill returns to the House for consideration of the Senate’s changes. The bill directs the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan to expand its offerings of high-deductible coverage. The plan provides coverage for many state and local employees.

Committee Approves Licensure Notification Bill
A Senate committee has approved House Bill 265 with some changes. The bill would require state licensure boards to notify known employers of licensed practitioners of changes in practitioners’ licensure status. An employer may provide a list of employees to the boards and request notification. Among other benefits, this would help employers know if a practitioner’s license has been suspended or revoked for failure to pay required taxes.

Next Week
The legislature will be focused during the next two weeks on passing the budget.

Conferees will be in marathon sessions to work out the differences. Major priorities remain on the legislative side to pass House 116 the tax amnesty bill that was “loaded up” with 16 amendments.

House Bill 18 the appropriations bill to accept $500 million in federal funds will be debated. Senators Lembke and others have tried to complete a deal to cut $250 million and return it to the federal government. Missouri would be the only state to do so.

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