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Congressman Graves in the news 6/12/2009

I found a couple things about Graves that I think are worth mentioning.

First an article in the falling Star discussing a Republican alternative to health care.

Second, I am not sure that I like this. Mr. Graves has proposed a bill, HR 2767, that would change the definition of what a small business owner is. The new definition would include venture capitalists who are much different than the independent small business entrepreneur. Not sure that this is a good idea.

Local politicians in the news 6/10/2008

Ryan Silvey: We all need to pay attention in this next state legislative session. Health care is going to come up. Nixon and the Democrats want everyone to pay for a bunch of kids health care. I am gravely concerned about this. I am tired of being told that I need to pay for others health care. Of course if the Federal government beats them to the punch this will all be irrelevant.

Claire McCaskill: The lap dog got her new assignment this week. Claire will be the go-to gal on the new PAYGO program. PAYGO dictates either a cut in spending or a tax increase for any new spending. Well, we know that they won't cut spending! This ought to be entertaining to watch. For the record PAYGO was a Republican concept that they used to keep Clinton's spending in check in the 90s. All you middle class intellectuals that voted for Obama and thought your taxes weren't going to go up under this President, just wait. They want to use PAYGO to cover their healthcare proposal. To be really honest I don't even see how this is feasible with the trillions of new spending that was rammed down our throat already. I guess we'll see.

Straight Talk With Sam Graves 6/8/2009

Below is the most recent Straight Talk with Sam Graves. Congressman Graves newsletter from the sixth district in Missouri. Mr. Graves is refusing to support cap and trade, we should all thank him.

Energy Tax Not the Answer

The phrase “first, do no harm” is not actually contained in the medical communities’ Hippocratic Oath. It may not be in the oath, but with the legislation coming out of Washington these days, it is good advice for lawmakers.

It is for that reason that I will not support the cap and tax legislation making its way through Congress. This proposal will lead to higher taxes, fewer jobs and more bureaucracy. In short, it will do more harm than good.

New taxes will hit every Missouri family, producer and small business owner. For agriculture, the energy tax would be a double hit. Not only would farmers be taxed for the fuel they use, but they would also see higher taxes on applications they depend on like fertilizer.

The $646 billion dollar tax would hit the poor the hardest because they spend a greater portion of their income on energy. Various studies suggest that America will lose between 1.8 to 7 million jobs as a result of this new tax.

This bill would put our manufacturers at a self-imposed disadvantage when competing against India and China. Worse yet, placing more restrictions and taxes on manufacturers will simply drive more manufacturing jobs out of the country. We want those manufacturing plants and the jobs they create here in America, not overseas.

I support increasing American energy production, promoting greater efficiency and conservation, and increasing the use of alternative and renewable fuels. But I will oppose this bill because it will hurt our families, producers and small business owners.

Sincerely,

Sam Graves

State representatives in the news 6/8/2009

This article talks about Tim Flook's bill HB 191, the new "jobs bill" that was passed by the state legislators and signed into law June 4^th. Here is another article on the same. One thing that I do like about this bill is that it is reducing income into the state's coffers. The more we all run lean through this recession the better, especially our governments, something about forced efficiency to behold.

Read about the earmarks in Missouri here. I can't believe the earmark Blunt asked for in here. He wants $500,000 for a MSU project to research the environmental hazards from meth labs. What? I am to the point of saying to heck with the US Senate and just start worrying about dealing with the state and US Congress. Why is that the Senate attracts these people? Remember he is supposed to be our guy in 2010. So excited……….. Oh, sorry, had to wake back up there.

Doug Ervin: I am continually fascinated at how people naturally assume health care must be addressed by the government. They failed to do anything with health care at the state level in the recent session, failure here is a good thing in my eyes. This article discusses this issue.

Sam Graves: HR 2454 has the potential to spike energy prices, nah, really!?

The Stouffer Report June 5th

Below is the most recent e-newsletter from Senator Bill Stouffer. There is a lot of information about Tim Flook's "jobs bill" (HB 191) that was just passed in the legislature and signed by Nixon June 4th. I am not as yet convinced that this thing is going to create a whole bunch of jobs, but at least they are not trying to create more government with it. I really am not a big fan of TIFs and TDDs, personally I think the government ought to stay out of development and let business decide where to go. The problem is so many states do it now that choosing not to may put you at a disadvantage.

The Stouffer Report:

Putting People Back to Work

While Protecting Taxpayers

The Legislature passed a major jobs bill this year. House Bill 191 contains dozens of provisions intended to create the right climate for job production and job growth. It also makes changes to tax credits and who gets them.

The approach used to do this is quite different than that in Washington DC. The state’s legislature chose to reduce taxes and other burdens on employers instead of simply growing government and calling it “job growth.”

At the center of House Bill 191 is the Quality Jobs Act which has proven itself to be successful in the years it has been in existence. The program assists businesses that wish to expand, hire additional employees, pay a wage that equals or exceeds the average for the county where the business is located and pay at least 50 percent of employees’ health care premiums. Under the bill, the annual amount of tax credits that can be awarded will be increased from its current maximum of $60 million to $80 million.

Tax credits issued by the Missouri Development Finance Board (MDFB) are capped in House Bill 191. Starting in the next fiscal year (which starts on July 1), the MDFB will not be allowed to issue more than $10 million in tax credits. Taxpayers who contribute to MDFB funds receive a tax credit equal to 50 percent of their contribution. The board has come under fire in recent months for tax credits that will go to the Kansas City Chiefs for renovations to their practice facility. Some of my cohorts in the Senate say the MDFB had relatively no oversight and could spend taxpayer money without consequence.

Tax increment financing is also addressed in the jobs bill. The measure states cities that do not comply with Missouri TIF reporting requirements can not start a new TIF district for the five years following. Tax increment financing is a tool that uses future gains in taxes to finance current improvements that will create those gains. When a public project happens, there is often an increase in the value of surrounding real estate. This increased site value and investment generates increased tax revenues. The increased tax revenues are the "tax increment." These increments finance debt issued to pay for the project. The Missouri Department of Economic Development will be required to submit its annual TIF report to the Missouri State Auditor, who will then post information provided in the annual reports of municipalities on her website.

House Bill 191 also creates new guidelines for Transportation Development Districts (TDDs), which — like TIFs — are a form of public-private partnerships. Once approved, a developer can build not only the business, but the road to get you there and pay for the work through a slightly higher sales tax at that business. Recent state audits have shown TDDs are being used more often, but have no state oversight. The bill will have TDD board members submit annual reports to the State Auditor, and public hearings will be required before a TDD is formed in any area. TDDs have proven themselves to be a less-expensive way for developers to construct new businesses and build the roads to get you to them. Now, there will be more oversight to ensure people are not abusing TDDs.

The jobs bill also features the “Big Government Get Off My Back Act,” which prohibits state-imposed user fees from being increased for the next four years. This section of the bill is aimed at helping small businesses with 25 or fewer employees. These businesses are the backbone of our state, especially in rural Missouri. I have to say, I think this portion of the larger bill is probably one of the better things we did this session.

I pray this recession ends quickly and we can return to happier financial times in Missouri. The governor signed House Bill 191 on June 4. Hopefully, we are heading in the right direction to get folks back to work again in Missouri.

Senator Stouffer serves the counties of Carroll, Chariton, Cooper, Howard, Lafayette, Macon, Ray, Saline, and a part of Clay.