Missouri Chamber Federation releases united legislative agenda

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Members of the Missouri Chamber Federation, a partnership between the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and local chambers including the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, released Dec. 17 a united legislative agenda for the 2003 legislative session.|ret||ret||tab|

"In the last 19 months, 77,000 Missourians lost their jobs, putting our state at the top of the nation in job loss. That's a distressing distinction, and one our state will continue to face unless lawmakers make serious efforts in the upcoming session to keep Missouri open for business," said John Mehner, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce president and chairman of the Missouri Chamber Federation. |ret||ret||tab|

"We hope to advance basic reform in workers' compensation, budget and tax policy and identify real economic development tools that can stem the tide of Missouri's job loss."|ret||ret||tab|

This session marks the first time that the group will formally align on a legislative package. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce will serve as the lobbying arm for the group.|ret||ret||tab|

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Workers' compensation|ret||ret||tab|

The top workers' compensation reform the Missouri Chamber Federation advocates would change one word in statutes, a move that would save Missouri millions in claims each year. Changing "a" to "the" would strengthen the connection between the workplace and the injury, requiring work to be "the" dominant factor in determining workers' compensation liability, not "a" factor as the law states.|ret||ret||tab|

Other legislative action to be pushed by the Missouri Chamber Federation would be to protect workers' compensation funds from being diverted in general revenue, a move that was made last session to backfill budget shortfalls.|ret||ret||tab|

"When policymakers talk about preserving and creating jobs, they must first look at the concerns like workers' comp. Reform in this area could go a long way to address job loss," said Daniel P. Mehan, Missouri Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.|ret||ret||tab|

Other recommendations are to:|ret||ret||tab|

level the system to make it fair for both workers and employers. Current state law guarantees workers' compensation cases will be liberally construed in favor of employees; and|ret||ret||tab|

keep the power of administrative law judges in check, eliminating an administrative law judge's ability to overturn already agreed-upon settlements.|ret||ret||tab|

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Economic development|ret||ret||tab|

Programs provided by the Missouri Department of Economic Development also are important to the economic vitality of our state, according to the federation. The $119 million in Missouri corporate tax credit programs last year resulted in $4 billion in additional investment in our state. |ret||ret||tab|

Other recommendations are to:|ret||ret||tab|

review and revise Missouri Economic Development programs; |ret||ret||tab|

increase funding for employee training and retraining;|ret||ret||tab|

advocate economic development with statewide impact;|ret||ret||tab|

support additional transportation infrastructure funding using existing revenues; and|ret||ret||tab|

allow local communities more control over economic development options such as tax increment financing tax abatement and other programs designed to stimulate local economic development.|ret||ret||tab|

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Budget reform|ret||ret||tab|

Whether the issue is workers' compensation or tax credit programs, all will ultimately come down to a debate about the budget a budget that is projected to be $300 million $500 million in the red by the end of the fiscal year.|ret||ret||tab|

Budget reform became a front-runner issue in the 2002 legislative session and numerous short-term fixes were implemented, including using tobacco settlement moneys and denying employers full benefit of the federal economic stimulus package.|ret||ret||tab|

"With an even bleaker outlook on Missouri's state budget projected for 2003, long-term budget reform must be given serious debate in the upcoming session," said Ray McCarty, director of fiscal affairs for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. "The state has run out of short-term fixes, and the corporate loopholes' the administration has offered as an answer to Missouri's budget shortfalls scarcely scratch the surface of the problem."|ret||ret||tab|

To address budget problems, the Missouri Chamber Federation suggests basing the total amount of spending on actual revenue collected from the previous year, less any anticipated shrinkage. The federation also suggests transitioning the state's budget process to a more performance-based system, which has been used successfully in other states.|ret||ret||tab|

Other recommendations are to:|ret||ret||tab|

ensure that spending matches income to balance budget;|ret||ret||tab|

make sure the state uses actual receipts from the previous fiscal year rather than consensus revenue estimates, which historically have been consistently inaccurate; |ret||ret||tab|

cap overall budget growth at 1 percent, allowing for mandatory expenditures first;|ret||ret||tab|

protect higher education with restoration of appropriations within existing revenue resources that exceed higher education's fair portion of budget reductions;|ret||ret||tab|

deposit surplus revenues in a supplemental fund with half of the fund balance available the following year, or more with a two-thirds majority vote of the House and Senate;|ret||ret||tab|

implement performance- and detail-based budgeting practices; and|ret||ret||tab|

implement a legislative oversight committee to work with both the House and Senate to perform serious, ongoing review of all agencies' budget core.|ret||ret||tab|

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