January 13,
2011
Missouri Senate Majority Leader Tom
Dempsey Speaks to RCGA Public Policy Council
On January 7th
Missouri Senator Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles),
the newly elected Majority Floor Leader, spoke to the RCGA's
Public Policy Council about his experiences in the Legislature
and outlined the Senate Republicans' priorities for the upcoming
legislative session.
Sen. Dempsey noted that this was
his 11th year in the Missouri
Legislature, and much has transpired since he arrived as
a freshman Representative in the minority party. He then
became part of the first Republican majority in the House in 50
years, and is proud that while he was House Majority Leader every
major economic development measure from the House was signed into
law, and sweeping changes were made to Medicaid, the school
foundation formula, and the tort system.
Sen. Dempsey outlined
his caucus's top priorities for the 2011
session, noting that three --
employment law reform, capping the
corporate franchise
tax, and workers' compensation reform
-- are issues that the "Fix the
Six" business coalition has adopted as
key priorities for the 2011 session (see related story
below). He also stated that education reform and
voter identification would receive discussion time, and that he
hoped to see consensus emerge among the business community on the
best way to move forward with a new nuclear plant for the state.
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A packed RCGA Public
Policy Council listens to Sen. Dempsey speak about his caucus's
priorities.
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RCGA lobbyist Kim Tuttle
(left) also provided an update to the
Council on the start of Missouri's legislative
session. She noted that the session was off to a
modest start, with a much lower number of bills than normal being
filed so far. Tuttle stated that both House and Senate
leaders have pledged not to raise taxes, and that the budget, job
creation, and education seem to be the top priorities of both
chambers.
Public Policy Chair Ted Powers, Regional
Director of Government Affairs for Anheuser-Busch
Companies, and Vice Chair Gordon Reel, Assistant
Vice President of Government & Public Affairs for Enterprise
Holdings, spoke on the "Fix the Six" business coalition,
explaining how it was formed and how a consensus
developed on the six priorities (see article below for more
details).
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RCGA Public Policy Council Chair Ted
Powers (left) and Vice Chair Gordon
Reel.
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About Sen. Dempsey
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Senate Majority Floor Leader
Elected to the Senate in 2007
Represents the 23rd Senate
District, which includes St. Charles and St. Peters
Previously served as Senate Majority
Caucus Whip and Chair of the Senate Job Creation 2020
Committee
Served in the House of Representatives
from 2000 - 2007
House Majority Floor Leader for three
years
Vice President of First National Bank of
St. Louis
Graduate of Rockhurst University and
DeSmet Jesuit High School
Lives in St. Charles with his wife and
three children
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"Fix the Six" Business
Coalition Announces Priorities as Missouri's 2011 Session
Begins
On January 4th, the day before the
Missouri General Assembly commenced their legislative session,
the RCGA joined with a wide variety of Missouri business
and industry groups in Jefferson City to present
a unified agenda of six legislative priorities for the
2011 session to promote and protect Missouri jobs.
The six priorities originated directly from
employers across the state, enjoy strong consensus across the breadth
of the business community, have no fiscal note for the state, and
are well-positioned for early consideration by the
Legislature. These priorities are outlined briefly
below:
Employment
Law Reform: Limit individual liability of
supervisors, mirror the federal standard of proof in
discrimination cases, limit whistleblower protection to cases
when there is an actual illegal act involved, and implement
reasonable damage caps.
Workers'
Compensation Reform: Ensure employees who
contract occupational diseases are allowed to have their claims
continue to be covered under the workers' comp system.
Protect employees from being liable for accidental work-related
injuries to fellow workers.
Franchise
Tax Cap: Protect companies seeking to
expand or add assets in Missouri by capping the corporate
franchise tax at 2010 levels.
Minimum
Wage Escalator: Eliminate the automatic
escalator on Missouri's minimum wage so it does not exceed the
federal level.
Tort
Reform: Enact a more fair tort system that
apportions cost among all parties based on each party's actual
percentage of fault.
Unemployment Insurance
Reform: Issue bonds to pay back more than
$700 million the State UI system has borrowed from the federal
government, and lengthen the term of bonds so that payments do
not exceed limits under the Hancock Amendment. [NOTE:
Missouri employers, not the taxpayers, would pay for the bonds
through a surtax.]
"As the largest regional economic
development organization in the state, the RCGA saw first-hand
how the positive business climate changes adopted in 2005 led to
a tangible improvement in the national perception of Missouri and
the St. Louis region as good places to do business," said
C.K. Chip Casteel, Senior Vice President - Public Policy
of the St. Louis RCGA. "These Fix the Six changes
in 2011 are similarly important to our economic growth and
prosperity in the future."
In addition to the RCGA, the "Fix
the Six" coalition is backed by Missouri's most prominent
statewide business organizations, including the Missouri
Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the National Federation of
Independent Business, Associated Industries of Missouri, the
Missouri Merchants and Manufacturers Association, the Missouri
Grocers Association, and Missouri Restaurant Association, and the
Associated General Contractors of Missouri.
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"Fix the Six" Priorities
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- Employment Law Reform
- Workers' Compensation Reform
- Franchise Tax Cap
- Elimination of the Minimum Wage
Escalator
- Tort Reform
- Unemployment Insurance
Reform
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Focus on Illinois:
Legislature Passes Major Tax Increase to Reduce
Deficit
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said
that he will sign a major income tax increase that the
General Assembly passed on January 12th.
Personal income tax rates will go up 67%, from
3% to 5%, while the corporate income tax rate will go up
46%, from 4.9% to 7%. "We had an emergency, a
fiscal emergency," said Quinn, "Our fiscal house was
burning."
The measure passed with no Republican
support and with no votes to spare. Republicans contended
that Democrats, who have controlled the state government since
2003, should have made deeper budget cuts before adopting a major
tax hike during a struggling economy.
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RCGA Staff
Announcement
It is with mixed emotions that the RCGA
announces that Kevin Riggs (right), our
long-time Director of Illinois Government Affairs, has accepted a
new position with SNR Denton's Policy Strategies Group, where he
will become their Managing Director for Illinois.
While we're pleased about this new opportunity for Kevin, he will
certainly be missed after more than six years of dedicated
service here at the RCGA.
"It's never easy when a valued employee
like Kevin leaves, but we are delighted for the new opportunities
that await him and look forward to continuing to work with him in
the coming year," said Dick Fleming, the RCGA's President
& CEO. The RCGA has retained Kevin as a
legislative consultant, so he will continue to represent us in
the Illinois Legislature and coordinate the activities of our
Illinois Public Affairs Committee. Best wishes, Kevin!
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Kevin Riggs
(far
left) poses with the RCGA's delegation for our Illinois
Legislative Day last year with Sen. Bill Haine (D-Alton), Sen.
James Clayborne (D-Belleville), and Senate President John
Cullerton (D-Chicago).
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RCGA Presidential Sponsors
Kick Off
Missouri Legislative Breakfast Series
On
January 12th the RCGA hosted the first of its biweekly
legislative breakfasts in Jefferson City honoring members of the
General Assembly. The breakfast, which attracted
more than 70 attendees, was hosted by the Presidential Sponsors
of the RCGA's Government Affairs Program: Ameren Missouri, Anheuser-Busch Companies,
AT&T Missouri, BJC HealthCare, Edward Jones, Enterprise
Holdings, Ford Motor Company, Monsanto, Smurfit-Stone Container
Corporation, and the St. Louis
Cardinals.
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Speaker of the House Steven
Tilley (R-Perryville), breakfast sponsor and RCGA Public Policy
Council Chair Ted Powers, Regional Director of Government Affairs
for Anheuser-Busch Companies, and Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller
(R-Willard).
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The early-bird breakfast crowd poses for a
quick picture: (from left) Rep. Randy Asbury (R-Higbee),
Rep. Wayne Wallingford (R-Cape Girardeau), Rep. Kurt Bahr (R-St.
Charles), Rep. Sylvester Taylor (D-Black Jack), Rep. Don Gosen
(R-Chesterfield), Rep. Cole McNary (R-Chesterfield), who was
recently elected Vice-Chair of the St. Louis Regional Caucus, and
Rep. Jerry Nolte (R-Gladstone).
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Rep. Tishaura Jones
(D-St. Louis) (left) and RCGA Board member Dr.
Zelema Harris, Chancellor of St. Louis Community College, were
all smiles at the breakfast.
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House Majority Floor Leader
Tim Jones (R-Eureka) (left)
and breakfast sponsor Chris
Brescia, Vice President of Government Affairs for Smurfit-Stone
Container Corporation discuss the start of
session.
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(from left) Rep. Tommie Pierson
(D-North St. Louis County), Rep. Clem Smith (D-North St. Louis
County), and breakfast sponsor Max Fisher of Edward
Jones.
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Breakfast sponsor Warren Wood
(speaking), Vice President of Regulatory and
Legislative Affairs for Ameren Missouri, discusses energy issues
with Rep. Paul Wieland (R-Imperial) (right) and
Rep. Jay Houghton (R-Martinsburg) (left).
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Upcoming Events
Jan. 26 -- Biweekly Legislative Breakfast
in Jefferson City
Join us for our next
biweekly Missouri Legislative Breakfast, sponsored by St.
Louis County, on Wednesday, January 26th at
the Doubletree Hotel in Jefferson City. Stop by anytime
between 7:00 and 8:30 a.m. RSVP to Sherri Bailey at sbailey@stlrcga.org.
Jan. 26-27 -- St.
Louis Green Confluence
Join us for a Green Economy Symposium on
Jan. 26th and a Green Career Opportunity Showcase on Jan.
27th. Both events are free and are being held at the St.
Louis University Center for Sustainability. To register
please visit www.stlouisgreenjobs.com.
March 11 -- Public
Policy Speaker Series featuring Tom Donohue
Mark your calendars for the first RCGA
Public Policy Speaker Series event of 2011 featuring Tom
Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce. Mr. Donohue, recently labeled by
Bloomberg Businessweek as President Obama’s “tormentor,” will
discuss key business issues facing the new Congress in
Washington. Space will be limited, so please mark your
calendar now for this exciting luncheon event on Friday, March
11th. More details and registration information
will be coming soon.
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