Senate Bills Call For Increased Benefits For Missouri’s Military Men And Women

A Senate committee is mulling over a number of bills intended to benefit military veterans and/or their children. One bill, sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Maida Coleman of St. Louis, would exempt U.S. Armed Forces pensions from state income tax. She – along with Senator Chris Koster of Harrisonville – has introduced additional legislation that would have the Coordinating Board for Higher Education provide tuition grants to the children of military personnel killed in the line of duty. Coleman says this would be a limited extension of the State’s current elementary and secondary education obligations. The education death benefits would require military personnel to be residents of Missouri at the time of death