Next week’s spring break officially marks the halfway point of the 2018 legislative session. During the first half of the legislative session, my Senate colleagues and I introduced 558 bills and 22 Senate Joint Resolutions. Below are updates on several of the bills that lawmakers have advanced during this legislative session.
Senate Bill 549 reauthorizes two of Missouri’s most important economic development tools. Under the legislation, the Missouri Works Training Program and the Missouri Works Program are extended until 2030. Under current law, both of these programs were set to expire on July 1, 2019.
The Missouri Works Training Program addresses the No. 1 challenge facing Missouri businesses in today’s growing economy – finding educated, skilled workers. Through this program, businesses receive funding for job training when they introduce new product lines, new technology, competition-driven quality or productivity improvements or when they are expanding or relocating their business within Missouri. However, this isn’t just a handout. Participating businesses must maintain the created jobs for at least five years, or they will be forced to return the assistance provided by the state. In addition, participating businesses cannot move the jobs out of state. If they do, they will be forced to repay their state funding. As a result of this program, Missouri has seen more than 9,500 new jobs and the state has retained more than 121,000 jobs as a direct result of the Missouri Works Training Program.
The Missouri Works Program is the state’s top economic development tool for attracting and retaining businesses. The program incentivizes businesses to expand their operations as well as hire new employees through the ability to retain their withholding taxes on the new jobs or receive refundable tax credits. The Missouri Works Program is a performance based program, companies do not receive their incentives until they create new jobs or expand their businesses. Like the Missouri Works Training Program, the Missouri Works Program also includes a claw back provision. If a participating business uses the assistance received through the program to move jobs or resources out of Missouri, the company will be eliminated from the program. For every dollar invested by the state in the Missouri Works program, it has generated more than $3.29 in economic activity.
Senate Bill 563 restores the cuts made to the MO Rx Program, and removes the Medicaid dual-eligible only requirement while restoring the program to all seniors who were eligible prior to last year’s budget, when the unfortunate cuts were made to the program.
The MO Rx program was created to help seniors with out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. The Senate is committed to supporting our senior citizens in the Show-Me State. By passing this measure, we will restore prescription drug assistance to nearly 60,000 Missouri seniors who will once again be able to afford their vital, life-saving prescriptions.
Senate Bill 547 creates a pilot program that grants farmers permissions to produce and purchase hemp in Missouri. Under the proposal, the Department of Agriculture would regulate the production and marketing of hemp. I believe this proposal will allow us to expand Missouri’s agricultural landscape and provide our farmers with a new source of revenue.
The bill would also ensure farmers are not subjected to federal laws under the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. Currently, hemp is classified among drugs such as cannabis, despite the fact it contains less than three percent of THC. Currently, there are 34 states who have enacted hemp laws, issuing nearly 1,500 licenses to produce the crop.
Hemp can be used for a variety of products. For example, hemp is used to create rope, clothing, food and even building materials. Although it is one of the oldest crops known to man, it is unusual because nearly every part of the plant has value. Until recently, however, hemp was an illegal crop due to its relationship to marijuana, therefore it is important to note that industrial hemp is not the same as marijuana.
Currently, Missouri is one of five states where 17-year-old children can be sent to prison for committing crimes, no matter how minor the offense. On Thursday, March 8, my Senate colleagues and I approved Senate Bill 793, legislation raising the age of adult court jurisdiction from 17 years of age to 18 years.
In Missouri, 17-year-olds can’t vote, they can’t serve on juries and they can’t even buy a lottery ticket. However, our court system automatically tries 17-year-olds as adults no matter how minor the crime. Missouri’s prison system is not set up to address the needs of children. Offenders who have served their time in our correctional system are three times more likely to return to prison than kids leaving one of our state’s juvenile facilities.
Senate Bill 793 does not prevent the court system from prosecuting 17-year-olds accused of serious crimes as adults. This legislation not only provides numerous economic and practical benefits to our state, but it extends an opportunity for our young people to address issues in their lives while keeping them out of our state prisons and correctional facilities.
As always, I encourage my constituents to contact me throughout the year with comments, questions or suggestions by calling my office at (573) 751-5713. To find more information about the bills I sponsor, visit www.senate.mo.gov/brown. Thank you for reading this and for your participation in state government.