Legislative News

State lawmakers returned to Jefferson City on Tuesday following the Easter holiday. Whether you attended a religious service, shared a nice meal with family and friends, or were busy hiding Easter eggs around the house, I hope you were able to enjoy your weekend and the pleasant spring weather.

My fellow senators and I gathered in the Senate chamber Tuesday to honor 13 of our former Senate colleagues, all of whom passed away within the last two years. Full of music, prayer, heartfelt stories and kind words, the two-hour memorial service was truly a beautiful event.

Among those we honored was Sen. Mary Groves Bland, who ably served the people of the 9th District from 1999 through 2004. Senator Bland passed away in 2016. It was my great privilege to answer Sen. Bland’s final Senate roll call.

To view a complete list of the senators who were honored during Tuesday’s Senate memorial service or to learn more about their lives and service, you may access their memorial service biographies on the Senate website or by clicking here.

In legislative news, the Senate spent much of the first day of session this week debating the Missouri Property Tax Credit — more commonly known as the “circuit breaker” tax credit program. The circuit breaker program allows certain senior citizens and disabled individuals to qualify for a tax credit for a portion of the real estate taxes or rent they have paid for the year. Currently, renters may qualify if they have a household income of $27,500 or less if single or $29,500 or less if married.

The program is meant to help low-income seniors and the disabled remain in their homes by giving them what is basically a 20 percent refund on the property taxes or rent they pay. The average credit claimed in 2016 was approximately $500. Unfortunately, the renter’s provision of the circuit breaker program is currently on the chopping block.

Due to the state’s strained budget situation, the governor proposed raising the threshold for the elderly and disabled to qualify for in-home care and nursing care programs. Were this to happen, thousands of seniors would lose access to care. To keep this scenario from playing out, legislation was offered to repeal the renter’s provision of the circuit breaker program.

Those who support repealing the renter’s provision say it will save the state more than $50 million and prevent the governor’s proposed cuts to in-home care and nursing care from being necessary. Supporters also like to claim that many of the seniors who get the tax credit are renters and therefore do not actually pay property taxes. The problem with this argument is they do pay property taxes, because any successful landlord is going to factor their property tax into the amount of rent they charge. So while renters may not directly pay property taxes, you can bet it’s their rent checks that are covering it for their landlords.

It would be one thing if lawmakers simply said they want to do away with the program; but to try to justify eliminating the renter’s provision by claiming our low-income elderly — who struggle to make ends meet — do not cover some or all of their landlord’s property tax bill is wrong. Whether they fail to see it or refuse to acknowledge it, I’m not sure. I do know, however, I’ve been very disturbed by the comments and conversations I’ve heard this past week in the Senate chamber.

Approximately 100,000 low-income seniors living in every corner of the state benefit from the circuit breaker program. I find it astounding there are lawmakers — public servants — who are consciously choosing to keep tax breaks for wealthy corporate entities at the expense of some of our poorest, most vulnerable citizens. It is ridiculous, and it isn’t right. Eliminating or reducing a tax credit program for businesses isn’t going to cause a business to go hungry, to not be able to afford its medication or other necessities, or to lose its home. Eliminating the renter’s provision of the circuit breaker program will almost certainly result in these outcomes for many of Missouri’s elderly.

The bottom line is there are other places in the budget we can recover the money we need; it does not need to be done on the backs of our senior citizens.

It continues to be an honor serving the men, women and children of Missouri’s 9th Senate District. As we move forward through session, please know I value your input, and I invite you to visit my Capitol office if you are ever in Jefferson City.

For a complete list of all Sen. Curls' sponsored legislation and committee assignments, please click here or visit her official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/mem09/.