JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Joanne Hammuck is the winner of DeVerne Lee Calloway Woman of the Year Award

Rep. Perkins and Sen. Fitzwater presenting Joanne Hammuck with the DeVerne Lee Calloway Woman of the Year Award in the House Chambers

“I, along with Senator Fitzwater and First Lady Theresa Parson, was proud to present Joanne with this prestigious award on the House Floor this week. I could not think of a more deserving woman than Joanne. Her list of accomplishments and her dedication to the community is unmatched.” Perkins concluded, “Her life has been spent in service to others, and it is one that we should all seek to emulate.”

Public Hearing on SB 100 heard in Government Accountability

After listening to the public testimony in committee, Perkins commented, “The foundation of this bill is freedom. The monopoly held by the federal reserve has led disastrous consequences for Missourians. We can see it in our everyday lives, with the skyrocketing inflation that their incompetence has created. One moment, inflation is transitory, and the next, it’s entrenched, making the so-called experts look like fools.” Perkins concluded, “SB 100 allows Missourians to pay all debts, public and private, with gold or silver. The United States dollar is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, but gold has an intrinsic value that goes back to the beginning of recorded history. This is step in the right direction that I fully support.”

House Members Approve Legislation to Address Missouri’s Child Care Crisis (HB 870)
Members of the Missouri House of Representatives took action this week to address the lack of affordable child care in the state. With a bipartisan vote of 133-20, legislators approved HB 870 to create several tax credits designed to provide an innovative solution that will allow communities to work together to create the child care they need.

The bill’s sponsor told her colleagues, “We have a child care crisis in our state and this issue is compounded when 30% of our child care providers closed during the pandemic and only 3% returned. Our parents, our employers, and our state and local chambers are all telling us they have frustration with the lack of affordable, reliable, quality child care.”

The sponsor noted that 58% of businesses across Missouri report child care has been a barrier to recruiting new employees and that 63% report it has been a barrier to retaining current employees. She also cited a report saying 43% of parents say child care is unaffordable so they choose to stay home.

HB 870 creates tax credit programs to help fund child care in the state. The sponsor said the approach is innovative because “business, government, and parents will all participate in the cost of care, making it affordable for families, stable for child care providers, and creating a reliable work force for our businesses.”

The bill creates the following tax credits:

• Child Care Contribution Tax Credit that allows a taxpayer to claim a tax credit for verified contributions to a child care provider in an amount up to 75% of the contribution. The tax credit issued cannot be less than $100, and cannot exceed $200,000 per tax year.
• Employer-Provided Child Care Assistance that allows a taxpayer to claim a tax credit in an amount equal to 30% of the qualified child care expenditures paid or incurred with respect to a child care facility. The maximum amount of the credit cannot exceed $200,000 per taxpayer per tax year.
• Child Care Providers Tax Credit that allows a child care provider with three or more employees to claim a tax credit in an amount equal to the child care provider’s eligible employer withholding tax, and may also claim a tax credit in an amount up to 30% of the child care provider’s capital expenditures. No tax credit for capital expenditures will be allowed if the capital expenditures are less than $1,000. The amount of any tax credit issued will not exceed $200,000 per child care provider per tax year.

The sponsor noted the tax credits are capped at $20 million for each calendar year. However, if all credits are exhausted the amount can be increased by 15% to provide credits to child care providers located in a child care desert. Each of the credits has a six-year sunset.

She emphasized, “These tax credits make our businesses put skin in the game before the government ever gets involved to solve this problem. It is the perfect tax credit. No one gets rich. Everyone participates to solve the problem.”

Another provision in the bill creates the Supporting Use of Child Care for Economic Stability and Security (SUCCESS) Tax Credit to help make child care more affordable for parents. Under the plan, an eligible taxpayer would be allowed a nonrefundable tax credit equal to the employment-related expenses for up to two qualifying children, not to exceed: (1) Expenses of $1,800 for each child who was under two years of age at any time during the tax year for which the tax credit is being sought; and (2) Expenses of $1,200 for each child who was two years of age or older during all of the tax year and under six years of age at any time during the tax year for which the tax credit is being sought.

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

 

Rep. Chad Perkins discusses legislative issues with This Week in Missouri Politics host Scott Faughn and Reps. Jamie Johnson and Ashley Aune. They were also joined by Republican State Representative candidate Cathy Jo Loy

Lawmakers Give Stamp of Approval to Bill to Simplify Gas Tax Refund Process (HB 519)

Missourians seeking a refund for the increased gas tax they’re paying at the pump would have a simpler process under legislation approved this week by the House of Representatives. Lawmakers approved HB 519 by a vote of 100-40.

The legislation began as a proposal to change the refund filing so it coincides with the calendar year rather than the fiscal year, which would allow taxpayers to file their refund claim when they do their taxes. The bill was expanded on the House floor to include a provision that would allow taxpayers to choose a standard refund option on their tax return. The standard refund would be $30 for the 2023 tax year, $45 for the 2024 tax year, $60 for the 2025 tax year and $75 for the 2026 tax year and every year after.

The bill’s sponsor said the standard refund would simplify the process from the current one and noted that those who promoted the gas tax said, “The people of Missouri would have the opportunity to get their gas tax back.” He added, “What was not said in the sales pitch is that the process would be unnecessarily complicated.”

“This bill fulfills that promise that the people of Missouri can get their gas tax that they paid in back if they so choose,” he said.
Working on your behalf,