Much of the work done in the Senate this week focused on tax credits. On Thursday, we passed the first two measures out of the upper chamber. Senate Bill 20, which I co-sponsored, renews and extends the sunset on a number of benevolent tax credit programs, including the Food Pantry Tax Credit and the Pregnancy Resource Tax Credit. These programs play an important role in helping charities and non-profit organizations provide critical services to Missouri families. I was excited to see the measure move through the legislative process so quickly. It will now go to the House for consideration.

We also approved Senate Bill 10, which creates a tax incentive to help attract amateur sporting events, such as college sports championships and Olympic trials, to the state. The credit is based on the number of tickets sold, allowing communities across the state, both large and small, to utilize the incentive. Earlier versions of this bill have stalled in the past, but changing the proposal to better allow smaller communities to use the credit helped the measure garner broader support.  This legislation also moves to the House.

Meanwhile, we began considering a handful of bills in the Senate Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee to reform Missouri’s overall fiscal policy. For the last year and a half, tax credit reform has been dead-on-arrival in the Legislature, mostly due to an impasse between certain House and Senate members over caps. The deadlock seems to have broken this year, though, with leadership in both chambers pushing strongly for reform.

Tax credits are a tool. Used wisely, they can encourage growth and job creation. However, our economy is still tight, and we’re working with a very limited amount of fiscal resources. We have to carefully control our tax credit programs before they begin affecting our ability to fund critical areas of our budget, like education and transportation. I expect extensive debate on this issue in the coming months.

On Wednesday, the Education Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 7. The measure removes the two-year waiting period before the state can take over an unaccredited school district. The bill also requires the Department of Education and Secondary Education to conduct at least two public hearings regarding the accreditation status of a school. The meetings would consider community resources that could help the district regain accreditation.

There are a number of unaccredited schools in Missouri, particularly in the metro areas. Many have made strong strides to regain accreditation, but have yet to reach the necessary benchmarks. Meanwhile, the academic future of thousands of Missouri students hangs in the balance. This bill would streamline the process and allow for a more prompt response when a school loses its accreditation.

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