Other economic development bills passed out of the house so far are HB 1501, HB 1495, HB 1261, and HB 1435.

HB 1501 (Zerr) provides several tax incentives to not only businesses in Missouri, but also to individuals. HB 1495 (Torpey)requires the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) to distribute $9 million over four fiscal years to no more than six Early Stage Business Development Corporations (ESBDC). HB 1261 (Pfautsch) requires the state auditor to report a transportation development district that does not submit an annual financial statement to the Department of Revenue.  Finally, HB 1435 (Johnson) exempts specified products being sold at farmers markets from taxation.

Along with offering tax credits, it is important to focus on cutting taxes for Missouri’s individuals and businesses. HB 1253 & 1297 (Berry) establish the Broad-Based Tax Relief Act of 2014 that reduces the tax on corporate business income and business income for sole proprietors, partners, shareholders. Additionally, HB 1295 (Koenig) lowers the personal income tax to 5.3 percent over a seven year span, as well as creates a $1,000 deduction for individuals who make less than $20,000 adjusted gross income. For small businesses this bill creates a 50% deduction for pass-through income over five years. HB 1453 (Hoskins) reduces both the corporate and individual tax rate by one-tenth of one percent while at the same time offering a five percent increase to the business tax deduction each year for 10 years. These incentives will only take effect when a $200 million dollar trigger is met. At that time, 40 percent of the money will go to K-12 education and 20 percent will go to higher education, with the remainder going to the general revenue fund.

Developments in Agriculture

Agriculture is a vital business in Missouri. As a result the House has been focused on making improvements to the industry. HB 1391 (Hurst) guarantees the right to participate and conduct rodeos in Missouri. A law or rule cannot prohibit a rodeo from taking place or prevent someone’s participation unless it interferes with time, place or manner of other similar events, or if the animal(s) are sick or diseased. HB 1496 (Reiboldt) prohibits the state from collecting fees under the Beef Commodity Merchandising Program. HCR 20 (Reiboldt) establishes a resolution to urge the USDA and EPA to approve 2,4-D and dicamba tolerant crops to allow Missouri farmers fair access to needed advancements in agriculture.

Giving Back to Missouri Veterans

Supporting Missouri’s veterans is essential to this state. We believe giving back to those who serve this country is vital. Much like the current state run lottery program for education, HJR 48 (Solon) proposed a constitutional amendment requiring the State Lottery Commission to develop and being selling a “Veterans Lottery Ticket” by July 2015. Upon approval from Missouri voters, all net proceeds received from the sale of these tickets must be deposited solely into the Veterans Commission Capital Improvement Trust Fund to support the many veterans in the state of Missouri. The fund is used to construct, maintain, and renovate veterans’ homes and cemeteries. A recent reorganization by the IRS has forced benevolent veteran’s organizations to provide workers comp insurance for all volunteers. These organizations are hard at work serving our veterans and are now running out of resources to financially support themselves. HB 1468 (Dohrman) exempts these veteran’s service organizations from the new IRS regulations and will help them to conserve their funds.

Defending the Sanctity of Life in Missouri

Three bills that recognize the value of life were passed in the House during the first part of session. HB 1307 (Elmer) was voted out of the house by a vote of 115-39. This bill changes the waiting period before a woman can have an abortion from 24 hours to 72 hours. By increasing the waiting period, we are encouraging women to thoroughly consider all options before making this major medical decision.  HB 1192 (Miller) requires both custodial parents or the guardian(s) of a minor to be notified prior to the performance of an abortion. Exemptions can be made in emergency situations but, the house feels both parents deserve to know if their child is undergoing a serious procedure. In addition, HB 1430 (Jones) states that any medical professional or institution that provides medical services has the right not to participate in any phase of patient medical care, treatment, or procedure that violates his or her religions, moral, or ethical principles.

Protecting Missouri’s Patient’s Access to Quality Care

The Missouri House moved to protect those in the medical profession by passing HB 1173 (Burlison), which reinstates a cap on non-economic damages in malpractice lawsuits in. Many doctors have been leaving the state due to the threat of exorbitant malpractice suites. Their departure compromises the quality of healthcare in Missouri. This bill ensures that insurance premiums stay low, which encourages doctors to stay in Missouri to offer access to quality care while providing jobs and substantial tax dollars.

Strengthening Missouri’s Elections

So far this session the House has passed two pieces of legislation strengthening the identification requirements to vote. HB 1073 (Dugger) and HJR 47 (Cox) state individuals must present election officials with a form of photo identification to vote.  HB 1073 also guarantees the costs associated with getting every voter the proper identification will be reimbursed by the state. HJR 47 sends this issue to a vote of the people of the state of Missouri. HB 1125 (Dugger) helps eliminate the unfair disadvantage placed on active duty military and physically disabled individuals seeking public office. Currently they must be physically present at a drawing to determine the order of candidate names on the ballot. This bill allows them to designate a proxy to appear in their place so they will not be automatically placed on the bottom of a ballot.

Discouraging Drug Abuse

Keeping Missourians safe from individuals who abuse drugs has been a prominent theme in the House this session. Specifically, HB 1051 (Rhoads) classified synthetic strands of cannabinoids as Schedule I drugs. Additionally HB 1058 (Higdon) was passed to expand the funding of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control with no additional fees in order to promote public safety and keep harmful drugs out of Missouri. In the spirit of continued public safety from drugs HB 1133 (Engler) created the Prescription drug Monitoring Act. This program makes doctors and hospitals accountable for dispensing medications in order to catch fraudulent prescriptions and drug abusers.

Prioritizing Missourians Privacy

The United States Constitution guarantees citizens the right to privacy, but with the law failing to keep up with technology sometimes that right can fall into question. HB 1388 (Cornejo) prevents law enforcement from tracking the location of your electronic devices without a warrant. Exemptions are made if the device is stolen, an emergency call is made from the device, in life-threatening situations, and if the owner gives consent. This bill would make information obtained outside these exceptions inadmissible in court and helps protects Missourians from law enforcement encroaching in their private lives.