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May 9,
2012
Arch Grounds and Regional Parks Proposal Passes
Missouri Legislature!
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Rendering of the proposed entrance to the
Museum of
Westward Expansion underneath the
Arch.
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On Monday evening the Missouri Legislature
passed HB
1504, a bill that would allow voters in St. Louis
City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County to raise
money for the Arch Grounds project and other area parks and
trails through a 3/16 cent sales tax increase.
The RCGA, Civic
Progress, and the Regional Business Council have strongly
endorsed this proposal: "Improving our parks and trails
and the transformation of the Arch grounds all work to make our
region an even more attractive place in which to raise a family,
work, and enjoy. And, we think the voters should be allowed
to make the decision." - Civic Progress president
Ward Klein, RBC chairman John Tracy, and RCGA chairman Tom
Voss. Guest Commentary
published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on March 21, 2012.
If HB 1504 is signed into law, the
St. Louis City Board of Aldermen and the County
Councils in St. Charles
and St. Louis will have the power to decide whether
they will allow
their residents to vote on the sales tax
increase. Governor Nixon will have 15 days to act
on the bill once he receives it. Because the bill
was passed without an emergency clause, voters are
not likely to see
this proposal on the ballot until next April.
If the legislature passes
another bill containing the same proposal with an
emergency clause,
voters could have a say in the measure in the
upcoming general election
in November.
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Aerial view of the current route from the
Old Courthouse
to the Arch Grounds, which requires
visitors to cross
over Memorial Drive and I-70 on
narrow sidewalks.
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Proposed park over I-70 that would provide
a safer,
more accessible and more enjoyable
way to reach the
Arch Grounds from the Old
Courthouse and Kiener Plaza.
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The local 3/16 cent tax increase would generate
approximately $38.5 million each year if passed
by voters in all three jurisdictions. St. Louis County, St.
Charles County and St. Louis City would receive 40% of the sales
tax revenue for local parks. The Great Rivers Greenway District would
receive the other 60%, with half dedicated for the Arch Grounds
improvements and half dedicated for regional parks and Greenway
projects. The local sales tax used for the Arch
Grounds would be just one of many funding pieces used to pay for
the project, which is estimated to cost approximately
$550 million. Backers plan to raise more than $200 million
from private donors, with $45 million of that already raised.
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Missouri Legislature Still
Has an Opportunity to Pass Important Business Climate and
Economic Development Bills
With only eight days until the end of Missouri's
legislative session, lawmakers are working to push several bills
across the finish line, including important business climate and
economic development proposals strongly endorsed by the
RCGA.
Workers' compensation reform
continues to remain a top priority of the RCGA and the
2012 Missouri Business Coalition.
Legislative changes made to the system in 2005 created a loophole
that no longer requires the workers' compensation system to be
the exclusive remedy for occupational disease and co-employee
liability cases. The Missouri legislature passed a
reform measure earlier in session that fixed this loophole;
however, it was vetoed by the Governor. The
Missouri Business Coalition has been working with the Governor's
office and House and Senate leaders to craft a bill that
addresses the concerns of all parties involved.
The latest version
of the workers' compensation bill (HB
1403) seeks to close the loophole
by
ensuring that all occupational diseases continue to
remain under the
workers' compensation system as intended,
while guaranteeing enhanced
benefits to workers with terminal
occupational diseases that result from toxic exposure.
Because the House bill was amended in the Senate, it still must pass both chambers
before being sent to the Governor.
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Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson
City
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HB 2099, an employment law reform bill
sponsored by Rep. Kevin Elmer (R-Nixa), would tighten
"whistle-blower" protection so that it only applies in situations
where an actual illegal act is at issue. The bill has
already passed the House and was heard in the Senate Commerce,
Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee
yesterday afternoon. Governor Nixon vetoed a more
comprehensive employment law reform bill earlier this
session that would have implemented reasonable damage
caps, limited the individual liability of managers, mirrored the
federal standard of proof in discrimination cases, and codified
the whistle-blower provision. While HB 2099 only addresses
the whistle-blower issue, it is an important step forward in
restoring balance to Missouri's employment laws. The
Business Climate Coalition is also seeking to fix
Missouri's insolvent Second Injury Fund by tightening
access to benefits so that they are available for the most
deserving employees, and allowing for a temporary increase in the
surcharge paid by employers to support the Fund. SB 807, sponsored by Majority Floor Leader
Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles), would implement these and
other provisions to restore the Fund's solvency.
The Freight Forwarders Incentive Act (HB 1476), sponsored by Rep. Mike
Leara (R-South St. Louis County), is also under
consideration in the legislature. This bill would help
create an international air cargo hub at Lambert-St.
Louis International Airport by providing a tax credit to
freight forwarders, who are essentially the "travel agents of
cargo." The incentives are essential to overcoming the
short-term disadvantages Lambert Airport faces in competing with
established cargo airports. However, once its air cargo
activity reaches critical mass, Lambert offers many
inherent advantages that will position it for further
growth, such as airport capacity, favorable weather
patterns, undeveloped land near the airport, and multimodal
distribution capabilities. HB 1476 passed the House and was
heard in the Senate Jobs, Economic Development and Local
Government Committee on May 2nd.
*** CALL TO ACTION -- YOUR
HELP IS NEEDED! ***
Please
call or e-mail the leaders of the Missouri
Legislature to show your support for
workers' compensation reform, employment law reform,
and the Freight Forwarders Incentive Act:
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Regional Green Economy Focus of RCGA Energy and
Environment Council Meeting
Federal and local environmental policy and
sustainability programs were the topics of discussion at the May
3rd RCGA Energy and Environment Council meeting
in Clayton.
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Clayton Mayor Linda Goldstein welcomes the RCGA
Energy
and Environment Council after an
introduction by Council
chairman Steve Poplawski of Bryan Cave
(standing, left)
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Clayton Mayor Linda
Goldstein welcomed
the Council and spoke about her city becoming Missouri's first U.S. EPA Green Power Community.
Clayton businesses and residents
now use 3% of their energy from
renewable sources such as solar and wind. Mayor
Goldstein encouraged
other municipalities in the region to reach the same
level. The city has
completed a greenhouse gas inventory and has
installed solar-powered
trash compactors on city sidewalks. Clayton's
new police station under
construction is designed to LEED-Gold
standards. When completed next
year, it will have a 100Kw solar array atop the
parking garage. The
project benefited from solar incentives offered by
Ameren Missouri,
as well as financing from Build America bonds and the
Missouri
Department of Natural Resources' Energize Missouri
program.
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U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks
holds
up the RCGA's "St. Louis Greenprint 2012"
as a best
practice plan in linking economic
development and
sustainability.
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U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Regional Administrator Karl
Brooks described
his agency's efforts to grow the national economy in conjunction
with environmental sustainability. He praised the
RCGA's "St. Louis Greenprint 2012" for its
focus on growing region's green economy.
He noted the plans for the Emerald
Automotive electric vehicle assembly
plant in Hazelwood as an example of St. Louis'
continuing leadership in
transportation. Brooks called the $4.7 billion
settlement between
the U.S. EPA and the St. Louis Metropolitan
Sewer District (MSD) a bold
commitment by MSD to make the St. Louis region a
world leader by the
end of the next decade in clean water and waste water
handling, while
creating thousands of jobs in our region. This
type of economic activity
around clean transportation and clean water is why
Regional
Administrator Brooks called the St. Louis economy
"built to last."
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(from
left) Catherine Werner, Sustainability Director for the
City of
St. Louis, Karl Brooks, U.S. EPA Regional
Administrator, and Anne
Klein, Director of Energy Sustainability
for St. Louis County.
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The Council also
received an update on St. Louis County's "Green and Growing"
Initiative from Anne Klein, Director of Energy Sustainability for
St. Louis County
(click here for presentation). St. Louis
County spent $8.4 million from a two-year federal grant to make
their operations more energy efficient and to help businesses and
residents do the same. Klein encouraged St. Louis County
home-
owners to take advantage of "St. Louis County SAVESTM", a
low-interest loan program for residential energy efficiency
investments. Catherine Werner, Sustainability
Director for the City of St. Louis, announced that a new PACE
program that allows commercial buildings to finance energy
efficiency improvements through their property tax will roll out
this summer. Werner said a PACE (Property Assessed
Clean Energy) Board has been established by the Board of Alderman
and an RFP for the program will be released soon.
The next RCGA Energy and Environment Council meeting
will be on June 28th from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at
America's Central Port in Granite City. Dr. Georgia
Costello, President of Southwestern Illinois College, will talk
about the Illinois Green Economy Network and its work in the St.
Louis region. If your organization would like to
participate, please contact Eric Schneider at eschneider@stlrcga.org.
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RCGA Hosts Final Missouri Legislative Breakfast of
2012 in Jefferson City
On May 2nd the RCGA hosted its final
biweekly legislative breakfast of the year in Jefferson City
honoring members of the Missouri General Assembly. See
below for snapshots from the breakfast:
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Rep. Mike Leara (R-South St. Louis County)
(left) and
RCGA Board Member Thomas George,
Chancellor of the
University of Missouri-St.
Louis. UMSL is an Ambassador
Sponsor of the RCGA's government affairs
program.
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Rep. Clem Smith (D-North St. Louis County)
(left) talks with RCGA Presidential Sponsor Michael
Harrold, Senior Director of State Government Affairs for Express
Scripts, Inc.
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RCGA Ambassador Sponsor Ann
Brand, Director
of Government Affairs for St. Louis
Community College (left), and Rep. Sharon Pace
(D-Northwoods).
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(from
left) Karen Pierre, Manager of Alumni and Community
Relations for UMSL, Chancellor Tom George, Rep. Tommie Pierson
(D-North St. Louis County), and Mary Anne McCollum, Manager of
Constituent Relations for the University of
Missouri-Columbia.
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(from
left) RCGA
Ambassador Sponsor Mary Anne McCollum of
Mizzou, Town & Country Mayor Jonathan
Dalton, member of Lewis,
Rice & Fingersh LC, and Rep. Bart
Korman (R-High Hill).
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Rep. Churie Spreng (D-Florissant) (left) and
RCGA lobbyist Tricia Workman pose for
a
quick picture at the
breakfast.
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Rep. Eileen McGeoghegan (D-St. Ann) and Rep. Joe Fallert
(D-Ste. Genevieve) were all smiles at the
breakfast.
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Rep. Tracy McCreery (I-Olivette)
(center) is joined by Karen Pierre and
Chancellor Tom George of UMSL.
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