"Right to Start Act" Advances

It was a busy week in the Missouri Senate, with several bills passed out of the upper chamber and sent on to the House of Representatives for its consideration. We also took time mid-week to hear an update on our state’s courts system as the chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court delivered the annual State of the Judiciary Address.

One of the measures sent to the House last week was Senate Bills 3 & 69. I sponsored the SB 69 portion of this combined legislation and I’m grateful to see the measure advance through the law-making process. Aimed at promoting business development in our state, the bill includes the “Right to Start Act,” a measure I introduced that would provide resources for Missouri businesses that have been in operation less than three years. This portion of the bill also requires the Commissioner of Administration to inform the Legislature about contracts awarded to new Missouri businesses and to make recommendations for helping to grow start-up enterprises. The SB 3 portion of the bill creates something called a “regulatory sandbox,” which will allow businesses to develop new products without excessive burdens from state rules and regulations. Businesses would have two years to bring an innovative product to market and could apply to extend the waivers if necessary. Together, the provisions of SB 3 and 69 will remove burdensome red tape and help make Missouri a better place for employers to locate and grow.

In the Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee, we heard testimony on Senate Bill 131. This measure would exempt the sale of firearms and ammunition from state sales tax. The sponsor argued, and I agree, that we should not tax the exercise of a basic constitutional right. Similar legislation has been offered in each of the two previous sessions but those bills didn’t receive hearings in the Senate. As chairman of the committee that deals with public safety, I felt it was important to hear the bill and move it along the legislative process.

Lastly, as chairman of the Transportation Committee, I seized an opportunity to honor two past residents of the 10th Senatorial District as a highway naming bill came before the committee. I’m sure we’ve all noticed the signs that dedicate portions of highways to various Missourians. These special markings are a way to recognize individuals and remember their contributions to our state and nation. Senate Bill 127 was originally drafted to name a bridge scheduled for construction across the Mississippi River for a prominent Southeast Missouri businessman. I worked with the bill’s sponsor to add legislation to memorialize one of the district’s founding fathers and to make a previously approved special marker honoring a hometown hero even more visible.

I trust everyone remembers Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz and the heart-warming homecoming the fallen soldier received as thousands of mourners watched his remains travel a flag-lined route from the St. Louis airport to a St. Charles funeral home in 2021. A Wentzville resident, Lance Cpl. Schmitz was one of 13 U.S. soldiers killed in a tragic suicide bombing at the Kabul airport during our nation’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Legislation passed in 2022 named a bridge along the David Hoeckel Parkway in the hero’s honor, but there were concerns the markers would not be sufficiently visible. The committee added language to SB 127 instructing MoDOT to place signs honoring Lance Cpl. Schmitz along Interstate 70, as near to the bridge as possible. The committee substitute bill also includes a provision authorizing the state Transportation Department to designate a portion of Business Highway 61 in Pike County as the "John Wayne Basye Memorial Highway," in honor of the founder of Bowling Green. The department will erect and maintain the signs, but the costs will be paid by private donations.

We’re off to a good start in the Missouri Senate. There are number of important bills moving through the legislative process and I look forward to updating you on them in future reports. In the meantime, if you have a concern about Missouri state government or you’d like to share your thoughts about ways to make our district and state even better, please contact my office. I also encourage you to let me know about significant public events happening in your community. Recently, I had the great pleasure of visiting with member-owners of Callaway Electric Cooperative during the co-op’s annual meeting in Fulton. I welcome the opportunity to visit with more residents of the 10th Senatorial District, so I hope you’ll consider inviting me to attend your events and functions.

Senator Travis Fitzwater serves residents of Callaway, Lincoln, Montgomery, Pike and a portion of St. Charles counties in the Missouri State Senate. For more information about Sen. Fitzwater, visit senate.mo.gov/Fitzwater.