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October
5, 2011
Missouri Speaker Steven
Tilley Discusses Special Session with RCGA Public Policy Council
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Speaker Tilley (R-Perryville) discusses the House's
position on the job creation
bill.
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On September 30th Missouri House
Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) spoke with the
RCGA's Public Policy Council about the ongoing Special
Session. Speaker Tilley said that he is still
committed to passing a jobs bill despite lingering differences
between the House and Senate on certain provisions of the
package. He expressed disappointment that the
Senate did not pass a bill that reflected the compromise agreed
to by legislative leaders over the summer, but added that he
realizes "business leaders want results, not excuses."
The House Economic Development Committee,
chaired by Rep. Anne Zerr (R-St. Charles), will meet later today
on their chamber's version of the jobs bill, which
includes incentives for an international air cargo hub at Lambert
airport, job retention, data storage centers, and amateur
sporting events. Speaker Tilley explained that the House
Committee Substitute will address tax credit caps and will
attempt to find a way to address the "sunset" issue with regard
to those programs. The RCGA urges House and Senate leaders to
find common ground so that the total jobs package is able to be
approved.
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RCGA lobbyist Kim
Tuttle
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RCGA lobbyist Kim Tuttle also provided an update on
Missouri's Special Session, saying that when the legislators convened in
early September it quickly became clear that they were not all in
agreement on the specifics of the economic development
bill. In particular, the incentives to help create an
"Aerotropolis" have been significantly scaled back, with only $60
million in incentives for freight forwarders remaining.
The RCGA is urging approval for this critical incentive
to support the long-term viability of an international cargo hub
in St. Louis by immediately boosting the recently begun China
Cargo flights from Shanghai to Lambert Airport and attracting
carriers from other world markets. Kim noted that
while the Special Session certainly hasn't gone as planned, the
fact that both chambers are still in session is a good sign that
they may be able to reach an agreement in the coming
weeks.
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Misty Snodgrass, Director of Government
Affairs
in Missouri for the American Cancer
Society
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The Public Policy Council also heard a presentation
on a tobacco tax ballot initiative by Misty Snodgrass,
American Cancer Society's Director of Legislative and Government
Affairs for Missouri. She noted that at 17 cents,
Missouri currently has the lowest cigarette tax of all states,
and that the annual cost of smoking to taxpayers through the
Medicaid program is $532 million. Missouri has the 11th
highest smoking rate in the nation, with 21% of adults and nearly
20% of high school students smoking. If the 80-cent
tobacco tax increase passes, 50% of the revenue would go toward
K-12 education, 30% would go toward higher education institutions
with an emphasis on training health care providers, and 20% would
go toward smoking prevention and cessation
efforts. The American Cancer Society and other
organizations supporting the measure hope to place the initiative
on the November 2012 ballot.
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Focus on Illinois: RCGA's Illinois Public
Affairs Committee Hears About America's Central Port and Veto
Session Issues
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Dennis Wilmsmeyer, executive director of
America's Central Port
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On September 23rd the
RCGA's Illinois Public Affairs Committee heard from America's
Central Port executive director and fellow IPAC member Dennis
Wilmsmeyer. Dennis explained that the Tri-City Regional Port
District rebranded itself as "America's Central Port" to better
reflect their strategic location. America's Central
Port (ACP) is the region's only full-service public port, and it
annually transfers 3 million tons of grain, steel, asphalt oil
and fertilizer to/from barges and railcars or
trucks. The port district covers
more than 75 square miles in southwestern Madison County on the
banks of the Mississippi River and the Chain of Rocks
Canal. ACP's harbor is the most northerly ice-free port on
the Mississippi River.
The Port facilities include a 1,200-acre mixed-used
intermodal business park and more than 1.5 million square feet of
warehouse space.
Since 2001 the port has
acquired 75 acres of land from the U.S. Army and made significant
investments in capital projects ($35m), rail ($8m), warehouse
roofs ($3m), and housing updates ($2m). ACP is
currently using a $5.5 million TIGER I grant to construct a new
South Rail Loop, and recently received another TIGER I grant for
$8.5 million to be used toward the new South
Harbor. In addition to these capital improvements,
ACP is also "Greening the Port" by focusing on renewable energy
sources and implementing port-wide recycling and "green"
purchasing. To view the full presentation, click on
either of the graphics below.
The Public
Affairs Committee also heard an update from regional legislators
on the state budget and issues that may arise during the upcoming
Veto Session. Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville)
explained that while most bills require a three-fifths majority
vote to override the Governor's veto, it only takes a simple majority
to override a vetoed appropriations bill. Governor
Quinn has vetoed $350 million and threatened to close seven state
facilities, two of which are located in Sen. Luechtefeld's
district. Sen. Luechtefeld said that he is very opposed to
the closures, maintaining that other facilities are not properly
equipped to handle the patients.
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Sen. Dave Luechtefeld (R-
Okawville)
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Sen. Bill Haine (R-Alton)
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Sen. Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville)
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Rep. Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville)
also spoke about the budget, saying that he doesn't want
to give the Governor any additional money because "you can't
spend what you don't have." He also cautioned that
increased spending could require the temporary income tax
increase to be extended, which he does not want to
happen. Sen. Bill Haine (R-Alton) commented on the
Governor's veto of the smart grid bill, saying that it made sense
to strengthen and modernize the electrical grid to handle the
growing demand for power more efficiently. The
smart grid technology would help utilities pinpoint outages and
make repairs more quickly, identify weaknesses before they cause
major problems, and allow customers to see how much power they
are using in real time.
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