Reconnecting Back Home
Nearly six weeks have passed since the Missouri General Assembly adjourned for 2019. It’s good to be back in the district, reconnecting with constituents in Platte and Buchanan counties and hearing their concerns. I’ve especially enjoyed visiting with local business and community leaders, and updating them on legislative activity in Jefferson City.
At separate events, sponsored by the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce and the St. Joseph Chamber, I joined colleagues from the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives to brief area business leaders on the 2019 session. I also had the pleasure of addressing Northland mayors during their monthly meeting. These community events are vital for keeping open lines of communication, and I appreciate the feedback I receive.
It’s been especially gratifying to join community leaders in welcoming the governor to the district. The governor was in the area to sign two important pieces of legislation into law.
On June 11, the governor traveled to St. Joseph City Hall to sign House Bill 821, which authorizes the creation of a land bank redevelopment agency. The St. Joseph Land Bank will allow the city to acquire derelict and abandoned properties and return them to productive use. Vacant buildings and empty lots will either be put to public use or sold to individuals or groups that will develop the properties.
I sponsored the Senate version of this measure and guided the House bill through the upper chamber. Passage of the land bank bill was the top legislative priority for St. Joseph civic officials, and I was thrilled that we got the job done. The land bank will be a powerful tool that will help St. Joseph rehab dilapidated areas of town and reduce crime.
On the same day, the governor signed Senate Bill 182, otherwise known as the “Border War Bill.” I was proud to co-sponsor this important legislation that will prevent abuse of economic development incentives. This measure recognizes that merely relocating a business across the state line does not always produce job growth, and that neither Kansas nor Missouri benefits by subsidizing address changes.
Relocating from an address in Kansas to a new facility only miles away in Missouri often produces little economic impact for the region. But some businesses have moved frequently in order to capitalize on state incentives. This legislation brings an end to the practice. Pending similar legislation on the Kansas side, Missouri will no longer help pay for business moves that do not create new jobs.
These are just two of more than 90 pieces of legislation the General Assembly sent to the governor’s desk in 2019. He has until July 14 to sign or veto this legislation. Already he has approved the budget for 2020, signing every appropriations bill, without a single line-item veto. The new budget includes a number of powerful workforce and economic development initiatives and addresses critical infrastructure needs without raising taxes.
Finally, it’s been sobering to travel throughout the district and survey all the destruction from recent flooding. I visited flooded areas alongside the governor and local officials in St. Joe shortly after the legislative session ended. The floods of 2019 have been devastating to the region, with thousands of residents and many hundreds of homes and businesses severely impacted. It’s going to be a long recovery effort, but there is help on the way. Missouri’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget includes $8 million to help with flood recovery. I was also encouraged to learn that the president signed a $19 billion federal disaster aid package, with at least part of that money likely to be spent in Missouri.
While there’s nothing we can do to stop the rain, we do have some influence over where all that water goes. Some of the flooding in our area was made worse by excessive release of water from dams along the Missouri River. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to worry less about fish and wildlife upstream and pay far more attention to the lives and livelihoods of people who live below their dams. This year, I co-sponsored a resolution that called on the Corps to reevaluate its priorities. Hopefully, our pleas will not fall on deaf ears.
It is my great honor to represent the citizens of Platte and Buchanan counties in the Missouri Senate. Please contact my office at 573-751-2183, or visit www.senate.mo.gov/luetkemeyer.