Showing Appreciation for Missouri Military Service Members
This past week we held our annual Missouri Military Appreciation and Awareness Day at the Capitol. This is a yearly event where lawmakers and top military officials meet and discuss concerns and strategies on how to maximize state resources to the advantage of our service members. Senator Dan Brown and I introduced Maj. Gen. Kent Savre (U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence at Fort Leonard Wood), Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets (Whiteman Air Force Base) and Brig. Gen. Greg Mason (Missouri National Guard) to the Senate Floor after a meet and greet breakfast between lawmakers and military leaders earlier in the day.
The Senate and House also held a joint committee meeting with Veterans’ Affairs members from both chambers, where the generals shared their concerns and questions about our state’s future. This provided an opportunity for our military, to allow the Legislature to speak directly with top military officials over ways to better represent our state’s service men and women.
During the Awareness and Appreciation Day, we highlighted some important pieces of military legislation that are currently working through the Senate. Senator Brown’s Senate Bill 968 was heard in the Senate Education Committee. This legislation would allow current members of the Missouri National Guard to receive in-state residency status that would help lower the cost of tuition at public four-year universities. The bill would also allow any active Guard members attending two-year institutions to receive in-district residency status, which would also mean lower tuition cost.
This Senate bill is a positive step forward in ensuring our service men and women are supported and able to receive the education they deserve. By helping members of the military achieve lower tuition costs, we’re making sure they have a brighter future to look forward to – for themselves and their families.
The second positive piece of military legislation is Sen. Wallingford’s Senate Bill 814, of which I’m a co-sponsor. The bill deals with service members’ income taxes. Under SB 814, any income earned through active duty in the armed forces could be deducted from the service member’s gross state income to determine the individual’s total Missouri taxable income. The bill would also apply to service members who file combined returns with their spouses.
I have also sponsored legislation with the goal of helping Missouri military families. Senate Bill 855 establishes a higher education tuition grant program for spouses and children of veterans who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. The Wartime Veteran’s Survivor Grant Program sunsetted in 2014, and my Senate bill would reinstate it to help families who have suffered tragedy and loss to achieve a brighter, more accessible future.
These three bills are just a few examples of legislative efforts to help our military. By creating laws that more accurately compensate service members and their families for their contributions to our state and country, we can make Missouri a more military friendly state. Because of the dedication and sacrifices they make on a daily basis, we need to be guaranteeing our military personnel receive as much assistance as possible in order to achieve success. Sen. Wallingford’s, Sen. Brown’s and my legislation will help Missouri do just that.
As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or (573) 751-2272, or by fax at (573) 526-7381.
Senator David Pearce serves Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray and Saline counties in the 21st State Senatorial District.