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Issue: 1082 Date: 5/19/2011
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China Hub, Local Police Control Die on Final Day |
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Some Missouri lawmakers hope Gov. Jay Nixon will call them into special session to pass an economic development bill.
The Legislature adjourned its annual session Friday without approving legislation to create several new tax breaks, including one intended to make the St. Louis airport a hub for international trade. A measure that would have given the City of St. Louis local control of its police department also died.
One of the sticking points between the House and Senate was how to scale back Missouri𠏋 current tax credits to cover the cost of the new programs. Nixon did not rule out the possibility of calling a special session. But he said lawmakers first must reach a consensus on a specific proposal.
Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer says he has talked with Nixon about the potential for a special session, though Nixon never promised there would be one.
Previous story:
A number of bills in Jefferson City never made it to the Governor𠏋 desk on the final day of the Missouri Legislature, including incentives for a China Hub at Lambert Airport and Local Control of the St. Louis Police Department.
Lawmakers also failed to pass legislation that would have allowed consumers to be billed for some of the costs of a second nuclear power plant.
Because economic development legislation failed there will be no tax breaks to transform the St. Louis airport into an international cargo hub, no incentives targeted to science and technology companies and no state aid to lure big-time amateur sporting events to Missouri. The bill𠏋 failure also means that low-income renters can continue to claim
a state income tax credit, and developers will face no reduction in state incentives for the construction of low-income housing or the renovation of historic buildings.
lawmakers did give final approval to a bill lowering the minimum age to obtain a concealed guns permit in Missouri to 21 instead of the current age of 23.
They also renewed a program that helps cover the medicine costs of a quarter million elderly and disabled Missourians.
The session came to a close at 6 p.m. Friday, the mandatory quitting time set by the state constitution. House Republicans followed tradition by tossing their suddenly useless bills and amendments up in the air. House Democrats did not. |
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