It is hard to believe that we have already reached the halfway point of the 2019 legislative session. In this week’s column, I want to discuss some of the legislation my colleagues and I have passed during the past few months. My fellow senators and I passed Senate Bill 21, which modifies sales taxes for cities. This act adds Portageville, Riverside and Fayette to the list of cities authorized to propose a sales tax for the purposes of improving public safety. If this type of sales tax increase is approved by the voters, it cannot exceed a rate of 0.5 percent. The legislation also changes the City Sales Tax Act to allow cities to propose a sales tax for general purposes; however, it is not to exceed one percent. This provision would give cities the ability to propose sales tax increases based on the community’s individual needs. This legislation has been sent to the Missouri House of Representatives for consideration.
The Missouri Senate also passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 12. This resolution recognizes the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, which is located on the College of the Ozarks campus in Point Lookout, as the official Gold Star Families Memorial Monument of Missouri. This memorial honors families whose loved ones have died serving our country and preserves the memory of those fallen service members. This resolution has been sent to the Missouri House for consideration.
My colleagues and I were honored to pass House Bill 448, which designates a stretch of highway in St. Louis County as “Rep. Cloria Brown Memorial Highway.” Cloria Brown served in the Missouri House of Representatives for six years. Sadly, Ms. Brown passed away last March. She was dedicated to serving her constituents and worked diligently on a number of issues to improve the lives of all Missourians. She is certainly missed by her colleagues.
In addition, the Missouri Senate also passed two other important bills, Senate Bill 28 and Senate Bill 45. Senate Bill 28 places a cap on the amount of low-income housing tax credits that may be authorized in a fiscal year. After several hours of debate concerning the cap, lawmakers reached a compromise. The legislation sets the cap at 72.5 percent of the amount of federal low-income housing tax credits allocated to the state. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit program provides incentives to build affordable, accessible housing for seniors, working families and people with disabilities. This program has the potential to provide thousands of Missourians with affordable housing, and I am glad my colleagues and I were able reach a compromise. Senate Bill 28 was passed by the Senate and sent to the Missouri House of Representatives for consideration.
Senate Bill 45 expands health care for individuals with developmental or physical disabilities by adding therapeutic care to the insurance coverage mandate for autism spectrum disorders. This legislation states that a health carrier cannot deny or refuse to issue coverage for an individual or their dependent because the individual is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or developmental or physical disabilities. I know this issue affects many Missourians, and I am happy to support this legislation. I am pleased my colleagues and I were able to pass SB 45 to improve the lives of countless Missourians across the state who struggle to find health care coverage for autism spectrum disorders and development and physical disabilities. Senate Bill 45 has been sent to the House for consideration.
Every year, the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee considers appointments of citizens to various boards and committees across the state. I would like to congratulate nine constituents from the 19th Senatorial District who were appointed:
- Jon Sundvold, University of Missouri Board of Curators;
- Randall Bryson, Real Estate Appraiser Commission;
- Karen Anderson, Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board;
- Kellie Ann Coats, Missouri Women’s Council Executive Director;
- Anne Heyen, Missouri Board of Nursing;
- Sheila Ray, Missouri Board of Nursing;
- Ben Rosenblad, Seismic Safety Commission;
- Eric Sandvol, Seismic Safety Commission; and
- Craig Stevenson, Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board.
This week, I was honored to be named a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Hyperloop, along with two fellow senators, two representatives, the director of the Department of Economic Development and the president of the University of Missouri. This panel will explore the specifics of funding and construction of the Hyperloop in Missouri. No state funds have been appropriated for this project. If you are not familiar with Hyperloop technology, it is a pod in a tube track that hovers above magnets and is propelled by electric power. If it is constructed in Missouri, a trip from St. Louis to Kansas City would take less than 30 minutes and would include a stop in Columbia. Missouri is a great candidate for the project because of our central location in the United States and the flat terrain surrounding Interstate 70. It would also help Missouri’s economy compete with some of the top economies in the country. I am excited at the prospect of this new mode of transportation, and I look forward to discussing the Hyperloop with the other members of the panel.
I am here to serve you, and my office door is always open to your questions, concerns and suggestions. You can reach my staff at 573-751-3931, and you can visit www.senate.mo.gov/rowden for an array of legislative and constituent resources.