Social Security Tax Cut Approved by the House

The General Assembly Reconvenes

Spring break is over and session convenes again. The House is working on our third read calendar, perfection calendar, holding committee meetings and the Budget.

My House Bill 863 Perfected

HB863 - Relates to consumer protections and transparency around environmental, social, governance (ESG) investing.?The bill was debated this week and perfected, with a vote next week the bill will move to the Senate. We had a spirited floor debate and amended the bill to remove some language that wasn’t quite ready for prime time.

My House Bills Heard in Committee

HB1210 - Modifies provisions relating to the Neighborhood Assistance Act tax credit. The bill was heard in my Financial Institutions Committee and received support and no opposition. Executive session will be held next Tuesday.

HB157 - Establishes the "Daylight Saving as New Standard Time Pact". The bill was heard in the Government Efficiency & Downsizing Committee. I had hoped the federal bill would pass, but so far it has not. Since we cannot go to permanent Daylight Savings Time without a US Congressional change, we are considering going to permanent Standard Time (which we are allowed to do as a state) and drafting it in such a way that if the federal government moves to permanent Daylight Savings Time, we would do the same. It will be interesting to see how the House responds to the bill with those changes.

HB155 - Establishes provisions relating to workplace retirement savings plans. The bill has been voted out of the Rules-Regulatory Committee, which I am a member of, and the bill will be placed on the perfection calendar.

HB809 - Requires the department of elementary and secondary education to develop a curriculum on personal finance to be used by school districts. This bill was also voted out of the Rules-Regulatory Committee and should be placed on the perfection calendar. The bill has also been incorporated into other bills moving through the process.

HB824 - Establishes provisions relating to investment disclosures. This bill was voted out of the Rules-Administrative Committee and should be placed on the perfection calendar.

Lawmakers Approve Historic Tax Relief Package (HBs 816 & 660)

The Missouri House has voted to provide more than $1 billion of tax relief to Missouri families, retirees, and businesses. By a vote of 111-48, House members approved HBs 816 & 660 to cut both the personal income tax and corporate income tax and exempt social security benefits from state tax.

Under HBs 816 & 660 the state’s top personal income tax rate of 4.95% would drop to 4.5% on January 1 of next year. The bill preserves triggers put into place when the General Assembly approved a tax relief package last year. If revenues grow at a healthy rate and all triggers are met, the top tax rate would be reduced to 4.05%.

The bill also includes a reduction for the corporate income tax that currently stands at 4%. The bill would drop the rate to 2% beginning January 1, 2024. The plan includes additional triggers that could eventually phase out the corporate income tax entirely if state revenues grow at a robust rate.

The final component of the bill would exempt social security benefits from state tax. This is the portion that incorporates my House Bill 156 (HB156) which exempts social security benefits from state taxation.

The sponsor of the bill noted his legislation not only helps put money back in the pockets of Missourians, it also serves as an effective check on the growth of government. He noted the size of the state budget has grown by $19 billion during the five years he has served in the legislature.

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

House Members Support Legislation to Legalize Sports Betting (HBs 556 & 581)

Members of the Missouri House gave bipartisan support to a legislative proposal that would legalize sports wagering in the state. By a vote of 118-35, lawmakers approved HBs 556 & 581 to allow Missouri to join the more than 30 other states that have already approved a legalized framework for sports betting.

One of the sponsors of the bill said it will provide a legal and regulated framework for sports wagering that will help bring in millions in additional revenue to help fund the state’s priorities.

The bill approved by the House would allow licensed casinos to offer sports wagering. It would also allow anyone over 21 to download a sports wagering app offered by one of the state’s casinos or professional sports teams to place bets from anywhere in the state through their computer, tablet, or phone.

The Missouri Gaming Commission would have full jurisdiction to supervise all gambling operators and adopt rules to implement the provisions of the bill. Under the bill, sports betting would be taxed at 10%. Revenue generated by the tax would go to the state’s education fund. The bill also requires the state to establish treatment and recovery programs for compulsive gambling.

The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.

HB 587 modifies provisions relating to land bank agencies and the collection of delinquent property taxes. The bill expands the list of cities authorized to establish a land bank agency to include any city with 1,500 or more inhabitants except in certain non-charter counties and certain charter counties. The bill also provides that, upon request by any city with less than 1,500 inhabitants not located in certain non-charter counties, or any unincorporated community located in certain non-charter counties, the county commission must establish a land bank agency for the management, sale, transfer, and other disposition of interests in real estate owned by the land bank agency. Supporters say that adding judicial foreclosure is a game-changer. The bill provides more flexibility in dealing with the properties that end up in a land bank.

HB 668 allows the Department of Economic Development to distribute one-time grants to employers for the purpose of enhancing cybersecurity, as defined in the bill, to cover up to 90% of cybersecurity enhancement costs. Supporters say both large and small businesses are facing an ever-increasing threat of cyberattacks and security breaches. Over 80% of businesses report cyberattacks are a growing concern. Cyberattacks are especially burdensome on small businesses that must deal with the economic fallout and legal liability of being hacked. This bill is timely, helping businesses to enhance their cybersecurity protocols and security knowledge.

HJRs 33 & 45 proposes a constitutional amendment relating to real property tax assessments. Upon voter approval, beginning January 1, 2025, this proposed Constitutional amendment provides that for all residential real property, the true value of such property will be deemed to be the same value determined at the most recent previous assessment of the property, or if the property has been sold since its most recent assessment, the true value of such property will be deemed to be the total fair market value of the compensation received by the seller for the sale of such property. A new assessment or reassessment of residential real property, the assessed valuation of such property may be increased from the assessed valuation of such property determined at its most recent previous assessment but only to the extent that such an increase: (1) Incorporates the change in the Consumer Price Index since the most recent previous assessment or up to a 2% annual increase in the assessed valuation of the property, whichever is less; or (2) Reflects the value added to the property as a result of new construction or improvements made to the property. Supporters say that as a result of the increased assessed values of their real estate, many taxpayers are being priced out of their homes due to tax rates they can no longer afford to pay. Many of those taxpayers are elderly, disabled, or armed service veterans who live on fixed incomes. Supporters further say that the bill would provide consistency to the question of their future tax obligations, which would allow taxpayers to plan accordingly.

Visitors to the State Capitol

Child Advocacy Day was held in the State Capitol and I visited with several different groups. Missouri Long Term Care organizations were in the building, Fine Arts Education Day held several musical presentations, a Missouri Travel Industry group stopped by the office, and the American Cancer Society.

Constituents Visit

Two of my constituents (pictured at the right with me in the side gallery of the House) came to the Capitol on Monday to testify in the Senate on a bill. They also stopped by the House of Representatives and were introduced on the floor and made pages for the day without compensation. They had a very busy but productive day.

Earthquake Summit

Missouri held the 5th annual Earthquake Summit on March 16, 2023 in Portageville, Missouri. This regional professional development conference brought together approximately 350 attendees to learn the latest about earthquakes in the Midwest – the risk, preparedness strategies, and recovery planning. Experts from across the country lead sessions focused on the latest geology, best practices in earthquake planning and response, transportation technologies, school recovery, public health lessons learned, funding opportunities, and more. Here’s a link to the summit webpage https://sema.dps.mo.gov/earthquake_preparedness/summit.php.

SEMA also issued this news release for Earthquake Preparedness Month in February that includes several helpful safety and preparedness tips – https://sema.dps.mo.gov/news/newsitem/uuid/c8a5f292-c249-46b3-96a6-8d07afbd566e.

Conservation Job Opportunities

Conservation is currently hiring. Here is the careers page from their website https://jobs.mdc.mo.gov/

Conservation Assisting With Eagles and Turbine Study

The Missouri Department of Conservation partners with groups on a research project about bald eagles and wind turbines. Here’s a link to the release,

MDC partnering on research about bald eagles and wind turbines | Missouri Department of Conservation (mo.gov)

MO HealthNet Resuming Renewals

The Family Support Division (FSD) is required to resume checking the eligibility of all MO HealthNet participants as of April 1, 2023. More than 1.4 million Missourians currently have healthcare coverage through MO HealthNet and will be impacted by this change.

At some point between April 2023 and April 2024, MO HealthNet participants will be required to complete an annual renewal. This will typically take place around the anniversary of when a participant's coverage began. Missouri will begin with individuals who are due for an annual renewal in June 2023. FSD will use the contact information they have to contact participants. If a participant’s address has changed, they should notify FSD as soon as possible. Here’s a link to their webpage, https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/pdf/resuming-mo-mh-annual-renewals.pdf

As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact me at [email protected], 573-751-3762 or my office is located on the 4th floor of the Capitol in room 411A.

###