JEFFERSON CITY — The governor today appointed Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit, to serve as a commissioner on the Missouri Tax Commission, an administrative agency under the direction of three commissioners who serve to ensure the uniform and equitable assessment of all taxable, tangible property in the state. Commissioners are appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate. Senator Kraus will be resigning from the Senate to assume his new post on July 31, 2017.
“It has been my honor to serve the citizens of Missouri’s 8th Senate District both as Senator for the past seven years, and as Representative the six years prior to that,” said Sen. Kraus. “I have had the privilege to serve in the Capitol alongside highly esteemed colleagues, and while I will miss our hallway conversations and debates on the floor, I will take with me the high standards of integrity and diplomacy with which we worked through differences to craft and pass meaningful, quality legislation.”
Senator Kraus’ leadership experience began twenty-five years ago when he joined the U.S. Army as a mechanized infantryman. He attended flight school and graduated as a Chinook Helicopter Pilot in 1999. In 2003, he served in Iraq as Platoon leader and the Company’s ground convoy commander. As an aviator, while serving as an air mission commander in charge of missions involving multiple aircraft, his decisions were responsible for hundreds of soldiers’ lives. Senator Kraus continues to serve in the Missouri National Guard, and in 2016, became certified to pilot the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after graduating from a six-week qualification course at the Eastern Army Aviation Training Site at Fort Indiantown Gap in Annville, Pa.
“Now a new call to serve has come, one that aligns with my legislative experience and affords me the opportunity to continue my lifetime commitment to service,” said Sen. Kraus. “Being an advocate for smaller government and lower taxes has been the cornerstone of my legislative career. Accordingly, I am honored to accept the governor’s appointment and look forward to continuing my work on behalf of the taxpayers of the great state of Missouri.”
During his time in the General Assembly, Sen. Kraus sponsored numerous pieces of tax reform legislation that were signed into law. In 2014 Sen. Kraus sponsored Senate Bill 509, legislation that lowered the state’s income tax rate from 6 percent to 5.5 percent. Senator Kraus successfully sponsored Senate Bill 18 in 2015, legislation aiming to protect tax payers by requiring the Department of Revenue to notify businesses if there is a change in the way sales tax law is interpreted. In 2017, Sen. Kraus sponsored Senate Bill 16. This legislation exempts delivery charges from sales and use taxes. In addition, Sen. Kraus has advocated and supported our state’s military men and women during his time in office. In 2013, Sen. Kraus sponsored Senate Bill 118, legislation authorizing the state’s circuit courts to create veterans treatment courts to specifically handle cases involving substance abuse or mental illness of current or former military personnel.
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