February 9, 2012

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Eco Devo director quits

February 2, 2012 By

Governor Nixon is looking for his fourth economic development director in four years. The state senate has refused to confirm his appointment of Jason Hall .  Hall resigned before the senate could take a confirmation vote and after Nixon refused to withdraw the nomination. 

Several senators say he would have been good to serve as an associate director where he could get the experience needed to direct  the department.

Hall is 36.  He will join the governor’s office staff.   Nixon deputy counsel Chris Pieper will become acting DED director.  He’s a former general counsel for the agency. 

 

 

Filed Under: Business, Featured, Legislature, News, Politics & Government

Senate Democrats rip Republican priorities (AUDIO)

February 1, 2012 By

Minority Democrats in the Senate think the priorities of majority Republicans are not the priorities of the broad number of Missourians.

The first major bills to be debated in the senate this year are ones rolling back discrimination laws, and limiting public employee unions’ ability to get money from their members and spend them as the union wants.

Democrats, outnumbered more than three-to-one in the senate, see that other Republican bills allow paying less than the prevailing wage in disaster areas, deal with right to work, and call for reviewing state rules that might be bothersome to small business.

Democrat leader Victor Callahan thinks Republicans are too cozy with business and ignoring broad public policy issues.

Other democrats complain those bills are Republican priorities instead of education funding, transportation problems, nuclear power plant siting, and other broader issues.  One Senator has asked, “who is setting the agenda?”

Republican leader Tom Dempsey responds, “It’s our agenda. We believe these are broad-based issues that affect the cost of doing business.”

The senate is likely to work on employment discrimination all day today.

AUDIO: Callahan/Green 28:46

 

 

 

Filed Under: Business, Featured, Legislature, News, Politics & Government

Black Caucus speaks out against discrimination bill (VIDEO)

January 30, 2012 By

Members of the Black Caucus held a press conference to make clear their intentions to block any attempt at passing a measure that would weaken Missouri’s anti-discrimination standards.

House Democrat Steve Webb, head fo the Black Caucus, was joined by Rep. Tishaura Jones, assistant minority floor leader, in saying they’ll try to prevent a vote in either the House or Senate on a measure that would change the state’s workplace discrimination laws.

Sen. Shalonn “Kiki” Curls says democrats in the Senate fillibustered the bill, which would put stricter standareds in place for employees who sue for discrimination. The bill would also cap damages.

It would also limit the damages victims can recover.

Gov. Nixon vetoed the bill last year, saying it would roll back decades of civil rights progress. Webb and others say this bill is another attempt that strikes at the very principles of equality, and not just for African Americans, but for the disabled as well.

Republicans argue that the Senate bill would simply align Missouri law with federal job discrimination standards, therefore making Missouri a more business-friendly state.

Webb and Jones say they have heard no reports from any business saying they didn’t want to relocate or set up shop in Missouri because of our state’s discrimination standards.

As far as being stronger than federal requirements, Jones says, “We’re proud that Missouri’s standards are higher.”

And as far as whether reducing those standards would create jobs, Webb says, “If becoming more tolerant of discriminatory practices brings one job to Missouri, we don’t want it.”

Filed Under: Business, Featured, Legislature, Politics & Government

Governor-backed auto industry incentives introduced

January 26, 2012 By
The automotive industry incentive component of the Governor’s job creation strategy has found its backers in the House and Senate, and they come from both sides of the political aisle.
 
In his State of the State Address and stops around the state, Governor Jay Nixon has promoted his Missouri Works plan. It would expand on the provisions of the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs act of 2010, which helped promote expansion at Ford’s Claycomo Plant in Kansas City and General Motors’ plant in Wentzville. Legislation introduced this week basically targets those incentives at manufactures in the automotive industry.
 

Representative Chuck Gatschenberger (R-Lake St. Louis) is sponsoring HB 1455.

The House version, HB 1455, will be carried by Representative Chuck Gatschenberger (R-Lake St. Louis). He says, “Those manufacturers of vehicles … they need brakes, they need windshields, they need trim, they need engines … and not all of those are built right there on that spot.”

Parts makers qualify under the proposal if the products they make are used by an automaker. Companies with at least half of their sales coming from parts used to modify vehicles can also qualify for incentives.

Gatschenberger says it offers two options to those companies. “One is if you employee five employees, you’re gonna get the same benefits with withholding the taxes that you pay from the state for the benefit of the company. The other aspect of it … there’s a lot of companies in this state that are not going to be able to employ five people but they can employ two people. If they do two people and $100,000 of investment in their business, they can fall under the same guidelines.”

Gatschenberger says it also includes some clawback provisions.  ”Let’s say they have those two people but they lay two other people off. Then they lose the benefit. It’s not the specific people that they hire, it’s the total number of people.”

See the Governor’s Office’s release on the introduction of the legislation.

The package increases the standard incentive period to five years, from the three found in the 2010 language. Companies would get a tax break equaling 5 percent of their new payroll if wages are at the average for the county, 5.5 percent for wages that are 120 percent of that average and 6 percent for wages at least 140 percent of the county average.

Senator Kevin Engler (R-Farmington) is the sponsor of SB 691.

Gatschenberger notes the package opens up incentives to all auto manufacturers, not just Ford and General Motors, “So if Nissan thinks, ‘Hmm, we might want to put a plant somewhere but where are we going to put a plant,’ it’s making the carrot bigger and jucier.”

The Governor’s Office says the package boasts a lengthy list of bipartisan supporters. Also in the House are Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville), Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones (R-Eureka), Jerry Nolte (R-Gladstone), Minority Leader Mike Talboy (D-Kansas City), Assistant Minority Floor Leader Tishaura Jones (D-St. Louis), Minority Whip Mike Colona (D-St. Louis), Representative Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) and Representative Bert Atkins (D-Florrisant). Senator Kevin Engler (R-Farmington) is sponsoring the Senate version, SB 691 with Minority Floor Leader Senator Victor Callahan (D-Independence) a co-sponsor.

Filed Under: Business, Economy, Legislature, News, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Senate remains deadlocked on discrimination bill (AUDIO)

January 25, 2012 By

A proposed change of one word in Missouri’s employment discrimination laws is a contributing factor to a  deadlock on the issue in the state senate.

Debate on the bill has consumed most of this week’s floor time in the Senate.  Business groups claim courts have gone too far in making it easier for people to file employment discrimination suits.  Sponsor Brad Lager of Savannah wants to require those filing suit to prove discrimination was the motivating factor in their firing or lack of promotion.  The current standard requires only that it be a contributing factor.

                                        AUDIO: Lager :17 mp3

He says his proposal puts Missouri discrimination laws under the standard of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and its 1991 amendments.

Democrats are tying up the bill, complaining the bill makes it too hard for employees to protect themselves from discrimination and tilts the system too much toward business.  Or as Senator Maria Chappelle Nadal of University City puts it.

                                        AUDIO: Chappelle Nadal :05 mp3

Democrats say Republicans don’t want to compromise on anything…so the Democrats won’t allow a vote on the bill.

 

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, Featured, Miscellaneous, News, Politics & Government
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