House Approves Emergency Funding

The Missouri House approved legislation (HB 16) to ensure communities in our state, ravaged by natural disasters, will receive the funding they need to pay for storm shelters and repairs. To date we have seen $30 million in projects completed around the state. With the bill we passed this week, we have taken the first step toward releasing the funds necessary to help these communities to pay for their repair projects and have sent it for the Senate’s consideration.

Continuing to Help Small Businesses

My colleagues and I took action with HB 32 to continue a program that has helped nearly 200 small businesses here in Missouri. This program has been in effect for several years now and has bolstered small business growth by providing a tax deduction to small employers who create good-paying jobs.

Specifically, the bill allows a $10,000 tax deduction for each full-time job a business (with fewer than 50 employees) creates that matches the county’s average wage. The act doubles the deduction for employers who offer a new employee health insurance and pay at least 50 percent of the premiums. The provisions of the bill were through 2014, but with the passage of HB 32, the House voted to extend the provision through the 2019 tax year.

The bill now moves to the Senate where we hope our counterparts will take quick action to approve this measure that as it helps many small employers who represent such a vital part of our state’s economic engine.

As always, I appreciate hearing about your comments, opinions and concerns regarding legislative matters and state government. My phone number is 573-751-5912. You may also write me at: “Shelley Keeney; Missouri House of Representatives; State Capitol, Room 313-1; Jefferson City,