Business leaders get session update from legislators

Laws recently added to the books are intended to ease government restrictions on doing business, jump start downtown redevelopment and set aside millions in tobacco settlement money for life sciences research.

After Missouri's worst budget crisis in 70 years, Cape Girardeau area business leaders were reminded Friday morning that some good did come from the recent legislative session.

"It was the most difficult fiscal situation since the Great Depression," Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder said at First Friday Coffee, a Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce sponsored event. "But we also produced a remarkable string of accomplishments."

The roomful of Chamber members listened and asked questions as Kinder and House Majority Floor Leader Jason Crowell gave a legislative update, that was partially on the budget situation, but also was on other laws that were passed.

House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, a Republican from Warson Woods, also attended.

Kinder cited a bill he sponsored that is intended to be a break for retailers and parents who buy children school clothes and supplies. Under this bill, shoppers won't have to pay sales tax on such items for three days in August, starting next year.

Sales tax will be suspended for clothing valued at less than $100, back-to-school supplies totaling less than $50 and up to $200 worth of computer software. The holiday will begin at 12:01 a.m. on the second Friday in August until midnight on Sunday.

Kinder also touted MODESA, or the Missouri Downtown Economic Stimulus Act, which allows the state to distribute up to $150 million a year for development projects in downtown areas with a majority of buildings at least 35 years or older.

Use for tobacco money

There was also a bill that set aside a fourth of Missouri's proceeds from the national tobacco settlement that will be used for life science research starting in four years.

That bill -- which will fund research and development for ways to improve quality of life, health and nutrition -- was sponsored by Kinder and Hanaway.

Despite all the friction in the session, most area business leaders gave local legislators a positive review.

John Mehner, Chamber of Commerce CEO, said the session was both good and bad. He liked that the legislators fought to keep taxes down. He also favored some of the bills that passed, like the sales tax relief bill and downtown stimulus bill. But he said some key business bills didn't.

Mehner cited Gov. Bob Holden's vetoes of tort reform and a small business regulatory relief bill. Senate Bill 69 would create a new board for small business people that could appeal extreme government regulations that affected their business.

"That would have been great to get their input," Mehner said. "But he vetoed it."

Dennis Marchi, Schnucks manager, said he also liked the sales tax holiday bill.

"Anything that stimulates the economy is good," Marchi said. "As far as the budget goes, I didn't envy them. They had to make some hard decisions and they made them. It was tough."

Jerry Trower, senior vice president of Alliance Bank, said that legislators did a good job considering it was the first year Republicans had control of both houses.

"I think, for the first real year they've had any power to do anything, they got quite a bit done," he said. "A lot of the bills they passed got vetoed. They should still get credit for them."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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