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State Sen. Kehoe and McKenna push for temporary sales and use tax (AUDIO)

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Two state senators are pushing for a temporary sales and use tax that would be used for transportation.

State Senators Mike Kehoe (R-Jefferson City) and Ryan McKenna (D-Crystal City) proposed a temporary one cent sales tax that if approved by Missouri voters, would raise the state sales and use tax by one percent for a period of ten years.

The Senators say the sales tax would be used for transportation purposes. Senator McKenna says that the passage of this bill is personally important to him by ensuring the safety of Missouri roads and keeping them safe. McKenna said he grew up with a friend who lived down the road from his that was killed about 12 years ago, and was killed on a very dangerous stretch of road on Highway MM and W, which he calls “death valley.”

Senator Kehoe says the concept of the bill is to invest in the state’s infrastructure system. “We would ask Missourians to invest a penny in their sales tax for every dollar that they spend to help Missouri’s (infrastructure system) move forward,” he said.

Kehoe says the key component of the bill is a public vote. He says it’s not his job to raise Missourians taxes, it’s his job to tell the people what the problem is, present them with a possible solution, and let the people decide if they want to invest in it.

 Kehoe says in the last 20 years the Missouri Department of Transportation has made drastic improvements to keep Missouri roads safer than they have been.

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:02)

Senators Kehoe and McKenna introduce bill dedicated to state transportation needs (AUDIO)

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Senators Mike Kehoe (R-Jefferson City) and Ryan McKenna (D-Crystal City) have introduced a bill that’s dedicated to benefitting statewide transportation needs.

Senators Mike Kehoe and Ryan McKenna announce legislation from a road construction site on Highway 50 near Jefferson City.

Senators Mike Kehoe and Ryan McKenna announce legislation from a road construction site on Highway 50 near Jefferson City.

The bill would create a temporary, 10-year, one-cent sales tax that would generate nearly $8 billion for transportation.

McKenna says it was a personal experience that made him want to make Missouri roads safer.

He says a few years ago, a road in his county — Highway 21, known as “Blood Alley” — had more fatalities than anywhere else in the country.

McKenna says there have been major improvements to Highway 21, “but we also have another — it’s perpendicular to Highway 21 — Highway MM and W known as ‘Death Valley … a friend of mine that lived down the road from me as a kid, he was killed on Highway MM 10 years ago.”

He points out that five years ago, 12,000 people were killed on Missouri roads, compared to last year when that number dropped to 800.

Kehoe says filing this bill is a start to the solution, and that people should be able to vote on what they would like to see happen on state roads.

“That bill will bring us to a point where legislators can put this through the process, so then Missourians can then vote on what they want done with their roads,” he says. “It’s really not MoDOT’s roads, it’s the people’s roads and this has gone on long enough where I think it’s the people’s right to decide if they want to continue with the infrastructure that we so badly need.”

Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Chairman Rudy Farber issued the following statement in response to the bill introduced by Senators Kehoe and McKenna, thanking them for their leadership in announcing the funding measure that could address Missouri’s transportation needs for the next decade. “Improvements made possible by the proposed one-cent sales tax would benefit every citizen. Safer highways, less congestion, and a stronger economy with more than a quarter-million supported jobs are to be expected should Missouri voters agree. We appreciate the Legislature’s attention to the importance of investment in Missouri’s transportation system.”

Should legislators pass the measure, it would be put before Missouri voters for approval.

There’s also a similar measure proposed in the House by Rep. Dave Hinson (R-St. Clair) who met with Sen. Kehoe about the bill. The language of both bills are the same, but they were passed by individual houses (Senate and the House). Hinson says one of the changes Kehoe made was that he took out specific ballot language that the House bill has kept in.

To view the Senate Bill, click here.

 To view the House Bill, click here. 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:00)

 

 

State senator proposes bill that would prohibit profiling drivers in non-commercial vehicles (AUDIO)

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A senate committee is reviewing a proposal to prohibit profiling drivers in non-commercial vehicles.

State Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) has sponsored a bill that prohibits law enforcement agencies from establishing roadside checkpoint or road block patterns based upon a particular vehicle type or who’s driving the vehicle.

Committee chairman Mike Kehoe says it’s an issue that has recently been brought to his attention. “Senator Schaefer has a bill that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from doing checkpoints for a specific type of non-commercial vehicles,” he says.

Kehoe says more specifically, including the establishment of motorcycle-only checkpoints. “Apparently there have been check points going on that target only motorcycle riders, drivers, and operators,” he says. “And he (Kurt Schaefer) feels that is a discriminatory nature in that the law (enforcement) should not be able to stop.”

Kehoe adds that police should not be able to stop vehicles operated by non-commercial drivers, and that law would prohibit that from happening. However, law enforcement officials will be able to establish roadside checkpoints that only stop and check commercial vehicles only.

 

To view the Senate Bill, click here.

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:00)