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Special
Edition: September 26, 2011
MOSIRA Passes Missouri
Legislature with Strong Majorities in both
Chambers!
Last Friday the
Missouri House of Representatives gave final approval to Senate
Bill 7, the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act
(MOSIRA), signifying the state's commitment to innovation and
technology-based economic development. MOSIRA,
which has been a top RCGA priority for several years, will
provide a predictable, stable source of state funding to invest
in advanced technology entrepreneurial infrastructure and foster
21st Century jobs in growing industries like
biotechnology. The passage of this bill is a major step
forward for Missouri and the St. Louis region.
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House
Majority Leader
Tim Jones
(R-Eureka)
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The House passed MOSIRA
by a margin of 94-48, showing broad support for the
measure. The RCGA
would especially like to thank Majority Leader Rep. Tim Jones (R-Eureka)
for his strong
leadership during floor debate on the bill. Rep. Jones stood tall against a powerful
special interest group in Jefferson City that was using scare
tactics to try to pressure lawmakers into opposing the
bill. There were false allegations that the bill
would fund human cloning
research and an effort to pass a "poison pill" amendment that
would have raised Constitutional questions and subjected MOSIRA
to never-ending court battles. Fortunately, Rep. Jones and
other House leaders would not let this political manipulation
stand, and were able to defeat the harmful amendment and pass the
original bill.
The RCGA is proud to have been a part of a
strong working group, led by the Missouri Biotechnology
Association (MOBIO), that advocated for MOSIRA's passage for
several years, and would like to thank the other
coalition members for their support: Missouri Chamber of
Commerce & Industry, Missouri Economic Development Council,
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Area Chamber
of Commerce, City of Kansas City, St. Louis County Economic
Council, The Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, Regional
Economic Development, Inc., The Coalition for Plant & Life
Sciences, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, Kansas City
Area Development Council, Missouri State University, Washington
University in St. Louis, and the University of Missouri
System.
MOSIRA, which passed the Senate by a 30-4
vote, will now be sent to Governor Jay Nixon for his
signature. There is a clause in Senate Bill 7
linking its enactment to the passage of Senate Bill 8, the
comprehensive economic development bill still being considered
during the Special legislature Session. The RCGA
has been working diligently with House and Senate leaders so they
can "get to yes" on the bill, which contains the
Aerotropolis Trade Incentive Act and incentives for data storage
centers, amateur sporting events and job retention
projects. Both chambers will convene for technical session
this week as negotiations on the bill continue.
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