State legislators review accomplishments and disappointments

By Max Goodwin

Members of the Missouri General Assembly discussed legislation and answered questions at a town hall meeting hosted by the South Kansas City Alliance. A bipartisan group of four representatives and two senators from the south Kansas City area attended.

The speakers reviewed the stadium bill, ballot initiatives repealed by Governor Mike Kehoe, and their own sponsored legislation from the latest session.

Stadiums

In June, the Missouri General Assembly returned to Jefferson City for a special session to pass a stadium bill that would fund approximately half of the stadium construction for the Chiefs and Royals by setting aside tax revenue that the state would have generated through the teams and their associated economic activity. The funding is estimated to total $1.5 billion over a 30-year period.

“I didn’t think it was that hard of a vote to do that,” Sen. Mike Cierpiot of Lee’s Summit, the only Republican at the town hall, said. “I think it’s really important for us to keep the teams.”

It is still uncertain what the Royals and Chiefs will decide to do. The teams are considering moving across the state line, as the Kansas Legislature passed a bill to provide 70 percent of stadium construction with STAR bonds.

Abortion and sick leave

This year, Republicans repealed two ballot measures approved by Missouri voters. Missouri lawmakers and Gov. Kehoe repealed abortion protections and an initiative requiring employers to pay sick leave for part-time employees.

Republicans, including Sen. Cierpiot, argue that the wording on the ballot for each of these issues wasn’t clear and thorough enough. Sen. Cierpiot said that the legislation to ensure paid sick leave was more than 5,000 words but was reduced to 88 words for the ballot. Democrats said they heard from voters about the issue.

“Based on the 2,600 emails I received and the 200 people who came to the Capitol to see me, I don’t think the voters are satisfied,” said Rep. Pattie Mansur.

Republicans currently hold a supermajority in the House and Senate, outnumbering Democrats by 109 to 52 in the House and 24 to 10 in the Senate. This gives Republican members of the General Assembly an easier path to pass their sponsored bills.

Utility taxes

Sen. Mike Cierpiot sponsored Senate Bill 4, which makes broad changes on how utilities are taxed and managed in Missouri. SB4 originated from a committee chaired by Cierpiot, the Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy, and the Environment Committee. It passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Governor Kehoe in April.

The bill addresses concerns with the Southwest Power Pool and MISO power grid, which cover parts of Missouri and are two of the largest power grids that move electricity throughout regions of the country. Both grids experienced outages in certain areas this year and faced an increasing need for transmission infrastructure to support the growth of renewable energy sources.

“There have been days where there’s been problems around here,” Sen. Cierpiot said. “There’s a concern that we’ve gone too green too fast.”

The legislation that Cierpiot sponsored makes it less expensive to employ gas-powered turbines, which he explained are available when needed and don’t rely on the sun or wind.

Insurance coverage

Members of the minority party, Sen. Patty Lewis and Rep. Pattie Mansur sponsored legislation that was signed into law to ensure that insurance companies cover audio-visual and audio-only telehealth appointments.

Diaper tax

Sen. Lewis also sponsored legislation that Gov. Kehoe signed, changing the tax status of diapers. She worked with Rep. Mark Sharp to eliminate the tax exemption on diapers.
“Those items, before this bill was passed, were taxed at a luxury rate of 4.225 percent,” Rep. Lewis said. “We know that diapers and feminine hygiene products are not luxury items.”

Schools

Rep. Sharp said he’s concerned about some bills passed this year, such as a bill that allows for mobile enrollment within different public school districts. Rep. Sharp noted that this could pose a problem for the Center, Hickman Mills, and the Grandview School District.

Guns

He also mentioned a bill that allows concealed carry permit holders to carry their gun on public transportation.

“If you ask the people riding public transit for work or to go to the grocery store, they are not asking for this legislation,” Rep. Sharp said.

Legislators announced that a Missouri House Special Interim Committee on property tax reform is inviting individuals who would like to share their experiences with the Missouri property tax system to attend hearings held around the state. The hearing for Kansas City is scheduled for August 13 at 5:30 pm in the Board Room at Union Station.