Missouri Representative, 135th District: Roy Holand, Republican

Roy W. Holand, Republican

Holand has been a member of the state legislature for six years and is a member of the Missouri House of Representatives Budget Committee.

What is your plan to get the state budget back in line?

"We need to review the tax credit programs and the tax cuts that we made. As a result revenue has dropped. The economy is a factor that aggravates the situation, but those (tax breaks) are the fundamental drivers of where we are."

Programs that Holand suggests reviewing are the state's Historic Preservation Program, senior property tax credits, neighborhood assistance tax credits and senior pharmacy. The largest sales tax cut Holand recommends reviewing is on unprepared foods, which Missouri cut by 3 cents last year for a loss of about $230 million. Other losses, he said, were from increased personal exemptions and elimination of the small business franchise tax each of which cost the state $70 million.

On education, "We'll have to figure out how much it's going to cost to fund the formula. There is a high likelihood that we will not have enough money to fund the foundation formula this next year. That means the schools will receive a percentage of their entitlement."

What is your position on workers' compensation reform?

"The Republicans are interested in making some changes in workman's compensation law. As a result of our current language, we are paying out excessive and inappropriate claims. And if you can eliminate those, it reduces the cost for business."

Holand recommends changing the wording of the law "in order to reduce the use of workman's comp as a source for inappropriate claims.

by Eric Olson

SBJ Reporter