State chamber lays out legislative priorities

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has identified its legislative priorities for the session beginning this week.

When the state General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday, chamber officials are calling for bipartisan work similar to that shown during the special session in November, when lawmakers approved a $1.7 billion incentive package to lure production of the Boeing 777X to St. Louis. While Seattle-area union workers voted to accept a proposed Boeing contract for work on the line to be performed in Washington state, Missouri chamber officials gave a nod to Gov. Jay Nixon and legislators for their willingness to work together to bring a competitive offer to the aeronautic giant.

“The special session showed that Missouri’s governor, lawmakers and local leaders could move quickly and work through differences to craft an attractive incentive package for one large company and its suppliers,” Missouri chamber President and CEO Daniel Mehan said in a news release. “Now, what are we going to do for the thousands other employers that provide jobs in our state? Where is our long-term plan for job growth?”

The chamber's agenda places the highest priority on broad-based tax relief, followed by employment law, education, labor and Medicaid reforms.

“Our agenda is designed to make a broad-based impact on Missouri employers and ultimately create more job opportunities across all industries – not just high-profile employers,” Mehan said in the release.

Broad-based tax relief
Within the tax relief category, the chamber is calling for a reduction of the corporate income tax and unemployment insurance reform.

According to the chamber, reducing the corporate income tax would position the state for long-term job growth during the next decade, the release said.

The chamber hopes to work with Nixon and education groups, the most vocal opponents of the vetoed House Bill 253 that would have provided several tax cuts.

Also this session, the chamber is seeking to bring solvency back to Missouri's unemployment insurance trust fund.

According to the release, Missouri owes $308 million to the federal government for borrowed insurance funds during the recession. This month, the penalty surcharge that employers in indebted states are required to pay increased to $63 per employee from $42, and Missouri is among states that continue to pay for ongoing federal debt.

The chamber is asking for steps toward cutting down the debt owed.

Employment law reform
Calling reform to unemployment law unfinished business, the chamber is advocating for Missouri's employment law to mirror the federal Civil Rights Act.

“Missouri courts have eroded the law to the point that Missouri holds the distinction of some of the lowest standards for discrimination lawsuits in the nation,” Mehan said in the release, noting reforms passed by the General Assembly in 2011 and 2012 were vetoed by Nixon.

Education reform
The chamber board of directors approved a wide range of education reforms for its legislative agenda, largely focused on improving standards for Missouri students.

Among the issues, according to the chamber, are standards for fundamental coursework at each grade level, better support for teachers and administrators, such as merit pay and performance-based evaluations, and an elimination of state-imposed tenure systems, the release said.

Labor policy
Chamber officials are advocating for right-to-work legislation that prohibits labor unions from requiring workers to pay mandatory bargaining fees.

According to the chamber, all of Missouri's neighboring states, except Illinois and Kentucky, have passed right-to-work laws.

“Employees should be given the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to be part of a union. Right to work gives them that right,” Mehan said in the release.

Another labor priority of the chamber is paycheck protection, which would prohibit labor organizations from using employee dues for political contributions without permission.

Medicaid expansion and reform
The chamber gave its reluctant approval to Medicaid expansion last March, saying the state is giving up federal money otherwise.

The chamber again is calling for Missouri to beef up its Medicaid program as the federal Affordable Care Act takes effect.

Nixon, too, is calling for Medicaid reform. Early this month, the governor said about $2 billion of Missourians' federal tax dollars began to flow to 25 states, but Missouri wasn't one of them.

Under ACA provisions effective Jan. 1, Medicaid gained a boost. Participating states get federally funded at 100 percent for the first three years, and the states cover up to 10 percent of the costs through 2022.