By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/17Kv8bmAFgLttAsGB3xVTd?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning Sports

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7sgp5uXx65sNCQhf0OjRZP?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning News

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The three bills ready for action in the special session called by Gov. Mike Kehoe face a fractured Senate. The test comes Wednesday with leaders needing to quiet GOP factions and Democratic distrust

The first two days of the special legislative session&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-for-kansas-city-stadiums-st-louis-disaster-funding/">called by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe</a>&nbsp;to allocate state money for Kansas City sports stadiums, disaster recovery and unfinished spending bills have gone as well as could be expected.

The Missouri Senate is poised for Wednesday debates on all the legislation Kehoe wants passed. And that’s when the legislation will move from friendly committees to a chamber compromised by clear Republican factional lines and simmering Democratic anger.

Some of the potential problems could be solved by which bills go first. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=E1&amp;BillID=18267450" target="_blank">simplest bill</a>&nbsp;would alter the rules governing the&nbsp;<a href="https://mhdc.com/programs/community-programs/missouri-housing-trust-fund-mhtf/" target="_blank">Missouri Housing Trust Fund</a>&nbsp;so it could use $25 million included in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/pdf-bill/E1/intro/SB1.pdf" target="_blank">an appropriations bill</a>&nbsp;to fund home repairs and other assistance in areas hit by natural disasters this year.

The biggest gripes about that plan is that the money is too little and spread too thin — federal disaster declarations have been sought for 37 counties so far this year — to do a lot of good. The biggest disaster of the year, and one that has yet to receive a presidential directive allowing federal aid, is a May 16 tornado that carved a 22-mile path across the St. Louis region, damaging or destroying 16,000 structures including hundreds of old brick homes in North St. Louis.

People are sleeping in cars to protect their damaged property while they work to rebuild and wait for help, said state Sen. Brian Wililams, a University City Democrat.

“I’m having a severe challenge with even entertaining this, because I don’t know how anyone would be able to go back home and look at their neighbors,” Williams said.

The bill with the biggest obstacles would use tax money collected from the economic activity at Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City to finance renovated or new stadiums. The bill is estimated to divert almost $1.5 billion from state revenues over 30 years.

State Sen. Kurtis Gregory, a Marshall Republican and a former NFL player, is sponsoring the bill. The damage it will do to Missouri’s national image to lose one or both teams, especially the Chiefs, is as important as the transfer of the economic value to Kansas, Gregory said during a hearing of the Senate Fiscal Review Committee.

Kansas is offering to pay 70% of the cost for new stadiums, an offer that is “very viable,” Gregory said, and must be answered by the end of the month.

“I firmly believe these are Missouri’s teams, and if Missouri doesn’t have an offer on the table for the teams to even consider, that will speak for itself and how we view then what they bring to our state and our economy,” Gregory said.

Lobbyists for the teams would not commit to staying in Missouri if the legislation is passed. That, said state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, is hard to take for residents of eastern Missouri who remember that Chiefs owner&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/chiefs-plan-to-market-team-in-st-louis-following-rams-move" target="_blank">Clark Hunt supported</a>&nbsp;moving the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles.

“There was a real begrudgement about whether we were going to root for the Chiefs after the ownership team voted to remove the Rams from this from our side of the state,” said Coleman, a Republican from Arnold.

Along with the stadium financing, Gregory’s bill includes expanded tax credits for major amateur sporting events and a tax credit of up $5,000 for insurance deductibles paid as a result of disaster damage.

The bill where Kehoe’s plan could make its biggest political gains is the spending bill. It is mirrored on a construction spending package that the Missouri House&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/09/missouri-house-republicans-surprise-senate-by-killing-500-million-construction-bill/">refused to consider</a>&nbsp;for a final vote during the regular session.&nbsp;

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved two versions Tuesday. One, based on Kehoe’s requests, has all the non-general revenue items but only $50 million of the more than $300 million in general revenue spending.

Kehoe said he left out the general revenue items because he is concerned about the trend of little growth in state revenues. He cut in half a line item to support a new research reactor at the University of Missouri, leaving $25 million and using the other half for the disaster relief funding.

Some lawmakers have called the cut a broken promise to the university. University President Mun Choi, who attended the hearing on the spending bill, said he is happy with the $25 million and the remaining funds will be welcome next year as the multi-year project progresses.

“I am not upset at all,” Choi said. “I am grateful that the governor and the legislature are considering supporting this very important project here today. There are many other competing interests, especially with the disaster relief in St. Louis, and I really feel for the St. Louisians that are affected.”

The other version of the bill is exactly the same as the bill the House spiked. It includes more than&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/20/missouri-special-session-may-provide-new-life-for-500-million-budget-bill/">60 projects added by lawmakers,</a>&nbsp;with money to rebuild a sheltered workshop that burned in December and provided needed upgrades at eight hospitals around the state.

While many members worried about disaster recovery or the earmarked projects have said they are ready to consider the stadium legislation after those bills are finished, the members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus who have signaled they oppose stadium funding are against it as a government subsidy to wealthy owners.

During testimony against the bill, Patrick Tuohey, a senior fellow at the Show Me Institute, summed up why conservatives oppose the bill.

“What’s happening here is that the teams want to use Kansas, and want to use fear of losing the teams, to vacuum up as much state subsidies as they can,” said Touhey, who&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/02/before-doling-out-subsidies-missouri-should-insist-john-sherman-and-clark-hunt-testify/">wrote an op-ed</a>&nbsp;about the issue published by The Independent earlier this week. “And then they are going to come to Jackson County and Clay County and do exactly the same thing, pit them against each other, and try to vacuum up as much public subsidies from taxpayers as possible,”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749032402794.png" alt="Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough, center, prepares with Sens. Rusty Black, left, and Karla May for a Tuesday hearing on two special session spending bills. (Rudi Keller/Misssouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption>Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough, center, prepares with Sens. Rusty Black, left, and Karla May for a Tuesday hearing on two special session spending bills. (Rudi Keller/Misssouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a><h2>The three bills ready for action in the special session called by Gov. Mike Kehoe face a fractured Senate. The test comes Wednesday with leaders needing to quiet GOP factions and Democratic distrust</h2>The first two days of the special legislative session&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-for-kansas-city-stadiums-st-louis-disaster-funding/">called by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe</a>&nbsp;to allocate state money for Kansas City sports stadiums, disaster recovery and unfinished spending bills have gone as well as could be expected.The Missouri Senate is poised for Wednesday debates on all the legislation Kehoe wants passed. And that’s when the legislation will move from friendly committees to a chamber compromised by clear Republican factional lines and simmering Democratic anger.Some of the potential problems could be solved by which bills go first. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=E1&amp;BillID=18267450" target="_blank">simplest bill</a>&nbsp;would alter the rules governing the&nbsp;<a href="https://mhdc.com/programs/community-programs/missouri-housing-trust-fund-mhtf/" target="_blank">Missouri Housing Trust Fund</a>&nbsp;so it could use $25 million included in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/pdf-bill/E1/intro/SB1.pdf" target="_blank">an appropriations bill</a>&nbsp;to fund home repairs and other assistance in areas hit by natural disasters this year.The biggest gripes about that plan is that the money is too little and spread too thin — federal disaster declarations have been sought for 37 counties so far this year — to do a lot of good. The biggest disaster of the year, and one that has yet to receive a presidential directive allowing federal aid, is a May 16 tornado that carved a 22-mile path across the St. Louis region, damaging or destroying 16,000 structures including hundreds of old brick homes in North St. Louis.People are sleeping in cars to protect their damaged property while they work to rebuild and wait for help, said state Sen. Brian Wililams, a University City Democrat.“I’m having a severe challenge with even entertaining this, because I don’t know how anyone would be able to go back home and look at their neighbors,” Williams said.The bill with the biggest obstacles would use tax money collected from the economic activity at Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City to finance renovated or new stadiums. The bill is estimated to divert almost $1.5 billion from state revenues over 30 years.State Sen. Kurtis Gregory, a Marshall Republican and a former NFL player, is sponsoring the bill. The damage it will do to Missouri’s national image to lose one or both teams, especially the Chiefs, is as important as the transfer of the economic value to Kansas, Gregory said during a hearing of the Senate Fiscal Review Committee.Kansas is offering to pay 70% of the cost for new stadiums, an offer that is “very viable,” Gregory said, and must be answered by the end of the month.“I firmly believe these are Missouri’s teams, and if Missouri doesn’t have an offer on the table for the teams to even consider, that will speak for itself and how we view then what they bring to our state and our economy,” Gregory said.Lobbyists for the teams would not commit to staying in Missouri if the legislation is passed. That, said state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, is hard to take for residents of eastern Missouri who remember that Chiefs owner&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/chiefs-plan-to-market-team-in-st-louis-following-rams-move" target="_blank">Clark Hunt supported</a>&nbsp;moving the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles.“There was a real begrudgement about whether we were going to root for the Chiefs after the ownership team voted to remove the Rams from this from our side of the state,” said Coleman, a Republican from Arnold.Along with the stadium financing, Gregory’s bill includes expanded tax credits for major amateur sporting events and a tax credit of up $5,000 for insurance deductibles paid as a result of disaster damage.The bill where Kehoe’s plan could make its biggest political gains is the spending bill. It is mirrored on a construction spending package that the Missouri House&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/09/missouri-house-republicans-surprise-senate-by-killing-500-million-construction-bill/">refused to consider</a>&nbsp;for a final vote during the regular session.&nbsp;The Senate Appropriations Committee approved two versions Tuesday. One, based on Kehoe’s requests, has all the non-general revenue items but only $50 million of the more than $300 million in general revenue spending.Kehoe said he left out the general revenue items because he is concerned about the trend of little growth in state revenues. He cut in half a line item to support a new research reactor at the University of Missouri, leaving $25 million and using the other half for the disaster relief funding.Some lawmakers have called the cut a broken promise to the university. University President Mun Choi, who attended the hearing on the spending bill, said he is happy with the $25 million and the remaining funds will be welcome next year as the multi-year project progresses.“I am not upset at all,” Choi said. “I am grateful that the governor and the legislature are considering supporting this very important project here today. There are many other competing interests, especially with the disaster relief in St. Louis, and I really feel for the St. Louisians that are affected.”The other version of the bill is exactly the same as the bill the House spiked. It includes more than&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/20/missouri-special-session-may-provide-new-life-for-500-million-budget-bill/">60 projects added by lawmakers,</a>&nbsp;with money to rebuild a sheltered workshop that burned in December and provided needed upgrades at eight hospitals around the state.While many members worried about disaster recovery or the earmarked projects have said they are ready to consider the stadium legislation after those bills are finished, the members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus who have signaled they oppose stadium funding are against it as a government subsidy to wealthy owners.During testimony against the bill, Patrick Tuohey, a senior fellow at the Show Me Institute, summed up why conservatives oppose the bill.“What’s happening here is that the teams want to use Kansas, and want to use fear of losing the teams, to vacuum up as much state subsidies as they can,” said Touhey, who&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/02/before-doling-out-subsidies-missouri-should-insist-john-sherman-and-clark-hunt-testify/">wrote an op-ed</a>&nbsp;about the issue published by The Independent earlier this week. “And then they are going to come to Jackson County and Clay County and do exactly the same thing, pit them against each other, and try to vacuum up as much public subsidies from taxpayers as possible,”

Stadium funding, disaster aid set to be debated by divided Missouri Senate

A new class for the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame is ready to be enshrined.   

Nine individuals, one team, and one Special Olympics athlete of the year make up the 2025 class for the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame. 

St. Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Esely says every year when the class is brought to him, all he can say is wow 

"Every year our class has great depth, meaning it touches all areas of sport," Esely tells a crowd gathered at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau.  "And this year we induct our first men's tennis player, we induct our first power lifter, we have two NFL football players in this class, we have a legendary coach in this class, we touch sports broadcasting in this class." 

Esely says while a lot of boxes were checked this year, there are still some areas that can be covered in the hall.  He points out the nominations cover a broad range, because it's not just about the athletes. 

"You have coaches, you have administrators, you have contributors, you have members of the media, you have sports medicine personnel, you have other categories," Esely explains.  "So, we have never received a nomination that didn't fit a category, and so we've checked a lot of boxes, there's still a number of boxes to check and we look forward to doing that." 

Esely says each class has its own personality, and each is made up of elite athletes on the court, but also excelled outside their sport, helping and mentoring people 

"I think that's indicative of a lot of our classes, a lot of people in our classes, but when I look at this class especially, not only knowing some of these folks historically, but just knowing a little bit about them, that's what this class says to me," Esely says.  "Is elite in what they did, but elite off the course, court, ring, in what they did as well." 

The class features NFL players, sports broadcasters, coaches, and a men's softball star among the nine individuals that were chosen.  One area team will also be enshrined, as well as a Special Olympics Athlete of the Year. The 2025 Hall of Fame class includes:  

Bob Boyles – Seven Time AAU Powerlifting Champion/Personal Trainer 

Mike Habermehl – PGA Club Professional/Instructor/MWSU Golf Coach 

Elijah Lee – Kansas State Football/National Football League 

Chris Miljavac – Men’s Fastpitch Softball Star 

Bob Orf – Radio Broadcasting Personality/Voice of Missouri Western Athletics 

Justin Thornton – Multisport Central High School Star/University of Kansas Football 

Adam Selkirk – Three-time Missouri State High School Tennis Champion 

Don Tabor – Bishop LeBlond/Benton High School Football Coaching Legend 

1977 Bishop LeBlond Boys Basketball State Champions 

Chris Ringot – Special Olympics Area Athlete of the Year

The Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be held August 24th at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center.   

A limited number of tickets for the event will go on sale later this month for $25 per person and may be purchased at <a href="http://stjomosports.com">stjomosports.com</a>.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748990667669.jpeg" alt="St. Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Esely announces the 2025 class in the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame during a press conference at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitor Bureau/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>St. Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Esely announces the 2025 class in the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame during a press conference at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitor Bureau/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post A new class for the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame is ready to be enshrined. Nine individuals, one team, and one Special Olympics athlete of the year make up the 2025 class for the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame. St. Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Esely says every year when the class is brought to him, all he can say is wow "Every year our class has great depth, meaning it touches all areas of sport," Esely tells a crowd gathered at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau. "And this year we induct our first men's tennis player, we induct our first power lifter, we have two NFL football players in this class, we have a legendary coach in this class, we touch sports broadcasting in this class." Esely says while a lot of boxes were checked this year, there are still some areas that can be covered in the hall. He points out the nominations cover a broad range, because it's not just about the athletes. "You have coaches, you have administrators, you have contributors, you have members of the media, you have sports medicine personnel, you have other categories," Esely explains. "So, we have never received a nomination that didn't fit a category, and so we've checked a lot of boxes, there's still a number of boxes to check and we look forward to doing that." Esely says each class has its own personality, and each is made up of elite athletes on the court, but also excelled outside their sport, helping and mentoring people "I think that's indicative of a lot of our classes, a lot of people in our classes, but when I look at this class especially, not only knowing some of these folks historically, but just knowing a little bit about them, that's what this class says to me," Esely says. "Is elite in what they did, but elite off the course, court, ring, in what they did as well." The class features NFL players, sports broadcasters, coaches, and a men's softball star among the nine individuals that were chosen. One area team will also be enshrined, as well as a Special Olympics Athlete of the Year. The 2025 Hall of Fame class includes: Bob Boyles – Seven Time AAU Powerlifting Champion/Personal Trainer Rob Calloway – Local Boxing Legend Mike Habermehl – PGA Club Professional/Instructor/MWSU Golf Coach Elijah Lee – Kansas State Football/National Football League Chris Miljavac – Men’s Fastpitch Softball Star Bob Orf – Radio Broadcasting Personality/Voice of Missouri Western Athletics Justin Thornton – Multisport Central High School Star/University of Kansas Football Adam Selkirk – Three-time Missouri State High School Tennis Champion Don Tabor – Bishop LeBlond/Benton High School Football Coaching Legend 1977 Bishop LeBlond Boys Basketball State Champions Chris Ringot – Special Olympics Area Athlete of the YearThe Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be held August 24th at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center. A limited number of tickets for the event will go on sale later this month for $25 per person and may be purchased at <a href="http://stjomosports.com">stjomosports.com</a>. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748990604791.jpeg" alt="The 2025 St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame class/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Sports Commission&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>The 2025 St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame class/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Sports Commission&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

2025 St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame Class announced

A veteran
legislative reporter says a decision at the end of the Missouri legislature’s
regular session could cast a long shadow on the special session that is underway
in Jefferson City.

Missourinet News
Director, Alisa Nelson, says the decision by House Budget Committee chair, Dirk
Deaton of Seneca, to kill House Bill 19, the $513 million capital improvement
bill, set a sour tone that just might carry over.

“I mean the session
was going so well until that point,” Nelson tells KFEQmmunity. “I mean in terms
of the personalities and the dynamics and things and all the different
lawmakers working together in a pretty bipartisan fashion to some degree. It
was going so well until then and then it just really went downhill after that.”

Nelson says
tension built in the Missouri Senate even further when the House approved a tax
incentive package for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals just after killing the
capital improvement bill. Several senators questioned why House leadership
could kill a bill funding capital improvements throughout the state, claiming
the state needed to be careful about spending, then turn around and approve tax
breaks for the two professional sports teams.

Then, Senate
Republicans picked up a rarely used parliamentary procedure to cut off debate
and force a vote on two controversial issues – sending the abortion issue back
to voters and removing paid sick leave provisions from the voter-approved
minimum wage law. The move further angered Senate Democrats.

The Senate
adjourned two days early. The House adjourned a day early.

Nelson points to
the decision by Deaton to bypass HB 19 and not bring it to a vote as the
turning point. She says Deaton’s decision to kill the capital improvement
package took nearly everyone by surprise and angered many.

“So, there was definitely
some bad blood that occurred because of the timing of all of this and I think
that bad blood and that friction and all of that will spill over into this
special session.”

Nelson says Gov. Mike
Kehoe must find a way to cut through that tension and bring the legislature
back together if he is to steer the Chiefs/Royals incentives through the
General Assembly.

The special
session will also consider a much scaled down version of HB 19 along with tax breaks
for St. Louis area homeowners who suffered property damage during recent severe
storms.

By BRENT MARTINA veteran
legislative reporter says a decision at the end of the Missouri legislature’s
regular session could cast a long shadow on the special session that is underway
in Jefferson City.Missourinet News
Director, Alisa Nelson, says the decision by House Budget Committee chair, Dirk
Deaton of Seneca, to kill House Bill 19, the $513 million capital improvement
bill, set a sour tone that just might carry over.“I mean the session
was going so well until that point,” Nelson tells KFEQmmunity. “I mean in terms
of the personalities and the dynamics and things and all the different
lawmakers working together in a pretty bipartisan fashion to some degree. It
was going so well until then and then it just really went downhill after that.”Nelson says
tension built in the Missouri Senate even further when the House approved a tax
incentive package for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals just after killing the
capital improvement bill. Several senators questioned why House leadership
could kill a bill funding capital improvements throughout the state, claiming
the state needed to be careful about spending, then turn around and approve tax
breaks for the two professional sports teams.Then, Senate
Republicans picked up a rarely used parliamentary procedure to cut off debate
and force a vote on two controversial issues – sending the abortion issue back
to voters and removing paid sick leave provisions from the voter-approved
minimum wage law. The move further angered Senate Democrats.The Senate
adjourned two days early. The House adjourned a day early.Nelson points to
the decision by Deaton to bypass HB 19 and not bring it to a vote as the
turning point. She says Deaton’s decision to kill the capital improvement
package took nearly everyone by surprise and angered many.“So, there was definitely
some bad blood that occurred because of the timing of all of this and I think
that bad blood and that friction and all of that will spill over into this
special session.”Nelson says Gov. Mike
Kehoe must find a way to cut through that tension and bring the legislature
back together if he is to steer the Chiefs/Royals incentives through the
General Assembly.The special
session will also consider a much scaled down version of HB 19 along with tax breaks
for St. Louis area homeowners who suffered property damage during recent severe
storms.

One decision sent the Missouri legislative session into tailspin

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5NZ4jZC1PA9YGMqOj4207F?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5WLYWr6jrqHXlIEepoF9WZ?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

Gov. Mike Kehoe’s policy director said a new formula for funding public schools should align with levels $300 million behind the legislature’s recommendations

&nbsp;BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

A group of state officials and business leaders tasked by Gov. Mike Kehoe with creating a new formula to fund Missouri’s public schools gathered for the first time on Monday under an expectation that funding should be below what lawmakers approved earlier this year.

Halle Herbert, the governor’s incoming policy director, told the group that Kehoe seeks funding “consistent with what is provided in the state fiscal year 2025 budget.”

Last month, lawmakers signed off on public education funding that was $300 million higher than what the governor recommended.&nbsp;

“A lot of times when you ask a school superintendent, ‘where are the problems?….’ They ask for more money,” Kehoe told the group Monday. “That is not a great answer to me… That can’t always be the answer to every problem.”

Between fiscal year 2025 and 2026, a multiplier in the formula called the “state adequacy target” increased. This number is the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s estimate of proper per-pupil funding and is calculated by looking at top-performing schools in the state’s annual performance reports.

The change was driven by a new iteration of the state’s accountability system, called the Missouri School Improvement Program, which was introduced in 2022 and became more “rigorous” for districts to score high and produced a smaller number of districts that could be deemed top performers.

The program is required by law to be phased in, making fiscal year 2026 the first year with the updated state adequacy target. This change requires an additional $300 million to fully fund the foundation formula.

Kehoe’s proposed budget this January did not include the $300 million increase, and his comments in Monday’s meeting show an intention to tamp down the rising costs of public education.

Kari Monsees, deputy commissioner of financial and administrative services, said part of Kehoe’s intention with calling for a change to the formula comes from the “unpredictability” of the state adequacy target.

State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly and former educator, pointed out that there was a 12% increase in the multiplier this year — but before now, it had only increased 4% in 16 years.

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/29/missouri-school-boards-request-commission-to-adjust-school-funding-formula-for-inflation/">Superintendents have been asking for a formula that responds to inflation</a>&nbsp;for years, arguing lawmakers “manipulated” the formula to keep funding flat.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/missouri-school-funding-march-2023" target="_blank">study commissioned by the department</a>&nbsp;and released in 2023 concluded that the current formula hurts districts with more low-income students. Multipliers for serving sensitive student groups were “not based on any empirical analysis,” the study determined.

The study recommends looking at other states and the cost associated with desired performance outcomes to determine whether the per-pupil funding is enough.

But Kehoe is seeking financial incentives for high performance.

Monsees said there aren’t many states with performance in school funding formulas and alluded to a lack of information on that model.

The group that met Monday was created by an executive order Kehoe shortly after taking office. He appointed members representing public schools, agriculture, business and charter schools.

One member is to represent “a non-profit organization that works on expanding school choice in Missouri,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/library/reference/orders/2025/eo14" target="_blank">according to the order</a>. Kehoe chose Chris Vas, a senior director with&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/10/nonprofit-near-kansas-city-seeks-to-become-epicenter-of-the-school-choice-movement/">the Herzog Foundation</a>. The foundation “advances K-12 Christian education primarily,” Vas said Monday.

There was some discussion that the formula, which was previously intended to fund public districts, should also be responsible for funding charter schools and vouchers for private education.

Committee member Michael Podgursky, an economics professor at the University of Missouri–Columbia, said there “was an active discussion of interdisciplinary school choice.”

“How do you design a funding mechanism with school choice, which really means thinking about tying it more to kids,” he said.

Podgursky has served as a fellow with various conservative research groups, such as the Fordham Institute and the George W. Bush institute and is a director at the conservative think tank the Show-Me Institute.

The group must come up with recommendations to deliver to the governor by Dec. 1, 2026.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748946701960.png" alt=" State Sen. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, chairs the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force meeting Monday afternoon (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, chairs the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force meeting Monday afternoon (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Gov. Mike Kehoe’s policy director said a new formula for funding public schools should align with levels $300 million behind the legislature’s recommendations</h2>&nbsp;BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>A group of state officials and business leaders tasked by Gov. Mike Kehoe with creating a new formula to fund Missouri’s public schools gathered for the first time on Monday under an expectation that funding should be below what lawmakers approved earlier this year.Halle Herbert, the governor’s incoming policy director, told the group that Kehoe seeks funding “consistent with what is provided in the state fiscal year 2025 budget.”Last month, lawmakers signed off on public education funding that was $300 million higher than what the governor recommended.&nbsp;“A lot of times when you ask a school superintendent, ‘where are the problems?….’ They ask for more money,” Kehoe told the group Monday. “That is not a great answer to me… That can’t always be the answer to every problem.”Between fiscal year 2025 and 2026, a multiplier in the formula called the “state adequacy target” increased. This number is the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s estimate of proper per-pupil funding and is calculated by looking at top-performing schools in the state’s annual performance reports.The change was driven by a new iteration of the state’s accountability system, called the Missouri School Improvement Program, which was introduced in 2022 and became more “rigorous” for districts to score high and produced a smaller number of districts that could be deemed top performers.The program is required by law to be phased in, making fiscal year 2026 the first year with the updated state adequacy target. This change requires an additional $300 million to fully fund the foundation formula.Kehoe’s proposed budget this January did not include the $300 million increase, and his comments in Monday’s meeting show an intention to tamp down the rising costs of public education.Kari Monsees, deputy commissioner of financial and administrative services, said part of Kehoe’s intention with calling for a change to the formula comes from the “unpredictability” of the state adequacy target.State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly and former educator, pointed out that there was a 12% increase in the multiplier this year — but before now, it had only increased 4% in 16 years.<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/29/missouri-school-boards-request-commission-to-adjust-school-funding-formula-for-inflation/">Superintendents have been asking for a formula that responds to inflation</a>&nbsp;for years, arguing lawmakers “manipulated” the formula to keep funding flat.A&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/missouri-school-funding-march-2023" target="_blank">study commissioned by the department</a>&nbsp;and released in 2023 concluded that the current formula hurts districts with more low-income students. Multipliers for serving sensitive student groups were “not based on any empirical analysis,” the study determined.The study recommends looking at other states and the cost associated with desired performance outcomes to determine whether the per-pupil funding is enough.But Kehoe is seeking financial incentives for high performance.Monsees said there aren’t many states with performance in school funding formulas and alluded to a lack of information on that model.The group that met Monday was created by an executive order Kehoe shortly after taking office. He appointed members representing public schools, agriculture, business and charter schools.One member is to represent “a non-profit organization that works on expanding school choice in Missouri,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/library/reference/orders/2025/eo14" target="_blank">according to the order</a>. Kehoe chose Chris Vas, a senior director with&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/10/nonprofit-near-kansas-city-seeks-to-become-epicenter-of-the-school-choice-movement/">the Herzog Foundation</a>. The foundation “advances K-12 Christian education primarily,” Vas said Monday.There was some discussion that the formula, which was previously intended to fund public districts, should also be responsible for funding charter schools and vouchers for private education.Committee member Michael Podgursky, an economics professor at the University of Missouri–Columbia, said there “was an active discussion of interdisciplinary school choice.”“How do you design a funding mechanism with school choice, which really means thinking about tying it more to kids,” he said.Podgursky has served as a fellow with various conservative research groups, such as the Fordham Institute and the George W. Bush institute and is a director at the conservative think tank the Show-Me Institute.The group must come up with recommendations to deliver to the governor by Dec. 1, 2026.

Missouri governor calls for task force to keep state education funding flat

Gov. Mike Kehoe wants a quick session to approve stadium financing, disaster relief and state spending that failed in the regular session. How he satisfies lawmakers demanding more could decide success or failure for the new governor

The opening of the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-for-kansas-city-stadiums-st-louis-disaster-funding/">legislative special session Monday</a>&nbsp;put partisan and intraparty fights in the Missouri Senate on display as Democrats called for expanded storm relief and Freedom Caucus members called for tax cuts as the price for supporting stadium subsidies.

Gov. Mike Kehoe called lawmakers together just two weeks after they finished work in the regular session to consider a package of tax incentives intended to convince the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri.&nbsp;

Kehoe is also asking lawmakers for a $235 million spending bill with $25 million for disaster relief as well as a special tax deduction for the cost of meeting insurance deductibles after a disaster.&nbsp;

The brief opening session didn’t feature any sharp exchanges, but the bills filed — and the statements made about them — show where the battle lines are being drawn.

Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a Democrat from Affton, told reporters that members of his caucus aren’t willing to talk about stadium funding until an appropriations bill and other disaster relief measures are on Kehoe’s desk.

“When that happens and it’s through the House and on the governor’s desk, then we can talk about it,” Beck said.

Members of the Freedom Caucus said they are holding out for a tax cut that benefits all Missourians before considering a stadium plan, said state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance.

Schroer filed a bill to cut the top income tax rate to 4% — it is currently 4.7% — and make the tax flat across all incomes.

“​​The members of the Freedom Caucus, plus the other conservative members that are not necessarily in the caucus, they’ve all expressed that whether it’s income tax, personal property tax or real property tax, for us to sit at the table, and allow tax credits for billionaires to move forward, the little guy needs to get something in return,” Schroer said.

The regular session ended in acrimony when Republicans twice invoked a rarely used procedural move to shut off debate. Democrats had blocked a proposed ballot measure to restore Missouri’s ban on most abortions and a bill repealing the paid sick leave law passed by voters in November.

Democrats vowed that the move ended their cooperation with Republicans and gave a taste of what that meant last week when they&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/29/bipartisan-resistance-building-against-missouri-governors-stadium-funding-plan/">stalled the final paperwork</a>&nbsp;of the regular session.

Under the Missouri Constitution, lawmakers have 60 days to complete work on items in a special session and Kehoe has said he won’t try to impose an artificial deadline. Because of the uncertainty of action in the Senate, the Missouri House won’t convene until next week and will only remain in session if the Senate has passed a bill for it to consider.

But the Chiefs and Royals have only until the end of the month to answer an offer from Kansas to fund new stadiums. Kehoe hopes to have his plan for tax incentives worth about 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums to be passed by then.

The plan for the Chiefs and Royals would take tax money already generated from activities at the stadiums — $28.8 million annually as estimated by the Chiefs and $15 million annually by an estimate from the Royals — and commit it to bond payments for 30 years for the new or upgraded facilities.

The economic activity associated with the Chiefs supports 4,500 jobs, Kehoe contends, and a new stadium for the Royals would generate about 8,400 jobs.&nbsp;

The spending bill Kehoe wants passed would use $25 million of general revenue to support a new research reactor on the University of Missouri’s Columbia campus, plus funding for a new livestock display barn at the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia and about $50 million to help with construction of a new mental hospital in Kansas City.

The funding for the reactor is $25 million less than Kehoe proposed. State Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat, introduced an appropriations bill with $75 million for the reactor, plus all the other general revenue projects that died when Missouri House Republicans refused to bring the construction spending bill up for a vote.

“If there is going to be a $25 million variance on agreements made in this chamber, we ought to go $25 million in the other direction,” Webber said.

Webber also introduced a bill imposing a 1% income tax surcharge on incomes greater than $1 million, which he said would bring in about $400 million over three years to support disaster relief.

“There is obviously a belief, among some, that billionaires should be given a sweetheart deal. I would disagree with that,” Webber said. “There is also some concern about whether we can fund disaster relief for some communities in our state that were desperately hit. So what I’ve tried to do is build a bridge between those two issues.”

State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican who chairs the Freedom Caucus, introduced a bill to finance the stadiums entirely from donations. He called it the “No Taxation, All Donation Act” and included incentives for giving.

“So if somebody gives over $10,000 to this stadium, then they are able to obtain free parking to be able to get into that stadium,” Brattin said.

The next step will be to send the bills to committees for hearings. That will happen tomorrow and the first hearings will occur soon afterward.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville, seemed happy to have gotten past the first day without a filibuster.

“Today went smoothly,” Luetkemeyer said. “And then we’ll just take it day by day and see where we go from here.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748263709817.png" alt="GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is pictured on Sat. Feb. 8 (Anna Spoerre/The Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is pictured on Sat. Feb. 8 (Anna Spoerre/The Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Gov. Mike Kehoe wants a quick session to approve stadium financing, disaster relief and state spending that failed in the regular session. How he satisfies lawmakers demanding more could decide success or failure for the new governor</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>The opening of the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-for-kansas-city-stadiums-st-louis-disaster-funding/">legislative special session Monday</a>&nbsp;put partisan and intraparty fights in the Missouri Senate on display as Democrats called for expanded storm relief and Freedom Caucus members called for tax cuts as the price for supporting stadium subsidies.Gov. Mike Kehoe called lawmakers together just two weeks after they finished work in the regular session to consider a package of tax incentives intended to convince the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri.&nbsp;Kehoe is also asking lawmakers for a $235 million spending bill with $25 million for disaster relief as well as a special tax deduction for the cost of meeting insurance deductibles after a disaster.&nbsp;The brief opening session didn’t feature any sharp exchanges, but the bills filed — and the statements made about them — show where the battle lines are being drawn.Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a Democrat from Affton, told reporters that members of his caucus aren’t willing to talk about stadium funding until an appropriations bill and other disaster relief measures are on Kehoe’s desk.“When that happens and it’s through the House and on the governor’s desk, then we can talk about it,” Beck said.Members of the Freedom Caucus said they are holding out for a tax cut that benefits all Missourians before considering a stadium plan, said state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance.Schroer filed a bill to cut the top income tax rate to 4% — it is currently 4.7% — and make the tax flat across all incomes.“​​The members of the Freedom Caucus, plus the other conservative members that are not necessarily in the caucus, they’ve all expressed that whether it’s income tax, personal property tax or real property tax, for us to sit at the table, and allow tax credits for billionaires to move forward, the little guy needs to get something in return,” Schroer said.The regular session ended in acrimony when Republicans twice invoked a rarely used procedural move to shut off debate. Democrats had blocked a proposed ballot measure to restore Missouri’s ban on most abortions and a bill repealing the paid sick leave law passed by voters in November.Democrats vowed that the move ended their cooperation with Republicans and gave a taste of what that meant last week when they&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/29/bipartisan-resistance-building-against-missouri-governors-stadium-funding-plan/">stalled the final paperwork</a>&nbsp;of the regular session.Under the Missouri Constitution, lawmakers have 60 days to complete work on items in a special session and Kehoe has said he won’t try to impose an artificial deadline. Because of the uncertainty of action in the Senate, the Missouri House won’t convene until next week and will only remain in session if the Senate has passed a bill for it to consider.But the Chiefs and Royals have only until the end of the month to answer an offer from Kansas to fund new stadiums. Kehoe hopes to have his plan for tax incentives worth about 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums to be passed by then.The plan for the Chiefs and Royals would take tax money already generated from activities at the stadiums — $28.8 million annually as estimated by the Chiefs and $15 million annually by an estimate from the Royals — and commit it to bond payments for 30 years for the new or upgraded facilities.The economic activity associated with the Chiefs supports 4,500 jobs, Kehoe contends, and a new stadium for the Royals would generate about 8,400 jobs.&nbsp;The spending bill Kehoe wants passed would use $25 million of general revenue to support a new research reactor on the University of Missouri’s Columbia campus, plus funding for a new livestock display barn at the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia and about $50 million to help with construction of a new mental hospital in Kansas City.The funding for the reactor is $25 million less than Kehoe proposed. State Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat, introduced an appropriations bill with $75 million for the reactor, plus all the other general revenue projects that died when Missouri House Republicans refused to bring the construction spending bill up for a vote.“If there is going to be a $25 million variance on agreements made in this chamber, we ought to go $25 million in the other direction,” Webber said.Webber also introduced a bill imposing a 1% income tax surcharge on incomes greater than $1 million, which he said would bring in about $400 million over three years to support disaster relief.“There is obviously a belief, among some, that billionaires should be given a sweetheart deal. I would disagree with that,” Webber said. “There is also some concern about whether we can fund disaster relief for some communities in our state that were desperately hit. So what I’ve tried to do is build a bridge between those two issues.”State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican who chairs the Freedom Caucus, introduced a bill to finance the stadiums entirely from donations. He called it the “No Taxation, All Donation Act” and included incentives for giving.“So if somebody gives over $10,000 to this stadium, then they are able to obtain free parking to be able to get into that stadium,” Brattin said.The next step will be to send the bills to committees for hearings. That will happen tomorrow and the first hearings will occur soon afterward.Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville, seemed happy to have gotten past the first day without a filibuster.“Today went smoothly,” Luetkemeyer said. “And then we’ll just take it day by day and see where we go from here.”

Missouri special session begins with lawmakers split on stadium funding plan

A community member has stepped up and given the generous gift of free tickets to the St. Joseph Mustangs game on Saturday. 

Mustangs General Manager and Owner Ky Turner says in 2022 an anonymous donor gifted tickets to games, and wanted to do it again this year, donating 500 tickets to the Mustangs. 

Turner says the whole intent behind this is to do something nice, and hopefully have the domino effect, influencing others to go do something nice as well 

"We're very appreciative of the people involved in making this possible, but then we're also very appreciative the people who take the challenge," Turner tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  "We heard so many great stories, whether it's just holding the door open for somebody, I think one person said they went to a garage sale and they bought some items for some people who couldn't afford an item and so they did something nice and purchased it for them." 

Turner says when the offer went up on social media, fans were very receptive 

"We surpassed that 500 in under the first hour, and so I actually made a phone call and I haven't made this edit online yet, I just went to the person who made that donation and I said hey this went quicker than what we thought, so they've actually upped their donation of how many tickets they're going to provide," Turner explains. "So, we're kind of reserving that number back so I can just tell them once we get there, and they say ok that's enough." 

Turner says it feels good to be able to use Mustangs baseball as a platform for this. 

"We're so appreciative of the team effort, whether it's the team on the field and playing the game but then the team off the field in our community and just doing nice things there," Turner says.  "It's really neat to use Mustangs baseball as that platform and just the domino effect it can have in our community, and St. Joe is just a wonderful community, it's full of a lot of great people, and I don't think sometimes we realize how awesome St. Joe is and can be." 

You can visit the Mustangs Facebook page to find a link to reserve tickets while they are still available. 

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

By MATT PIKE A community member has stepped up and given the generous gift of free tickets to the St. Joseph Mustangs game on Saturday. Mustangs General Manager and Owner Ky Turner says in 2022 an anonymous donor gifted tickets to games, and wanted to do it again this year, donating 500 tickets to the Mustangs. Turner says the whole intent behind this is to do something nice, and hopefully have the domino effect, influencing others to go do something nice as well "We're very appreciative of the people involved in making this possible, but then we're also very appreciative the people who take the challenge," Turner tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "We heard so many great stories, whether it's just holding the door open for somebody, I think one person said they went to a garage sale and they bought some items for some people who couldn't afford an item and so they did something nice and purchased it for them." Turner says when the offer went up on social media, fans were very receptive "We surpassed that 500 in under the first hour, and so I actually made a phone call and I haven't made this edit online yet, I just went to the person who made that donation and I said hey this went quicker than what we thought, so they've actually upped their donation of how many tickets they're going to provide," Turner explains. "So, we're kind of reserving that number back so I can just tell them once we get there, and they say ok that's enough." Turner says it feels good to be able to use Mustangs baseball as a platform for this. "We're so appreciative of the team effort, whether it's the team on the field and playing the game but then the team off the field in our community and just doing nice things there," Turner says. "It's really neat to use Mustangs baseball as that platform and just the domino effect it can have in our community, and St. Joe is just a wonderful community, it's full of a lot of great people, and I don't think sometimes we realize how awesome St. Joe is and can be." You can visit the Mustangs Facebook page to find a link to reserve tickets while they are still available. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Anonymous donor gifts free tickets to St. Joseph Mustangs on Saturday

State lawmakers return to work this week to tackle tax breaks for sports stadiums against a backdrop of sluggish revenues and a declining surplus

Along with&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/23/cuts-to-food-aid-endorsed-by-congressional-gop-could-cost-missouri-400-million/">hundreds of millions</a>&nbsp;in potential&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/federal-medicaid-cuts-could-leave-missouri-with-huge-budget-shortfall/">new costs for Missouri</a>&nbsp;taxpayers, an analysis of the budget bill backed by Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump shows it would also cut state revenue as tax changes at the federal level are reflected in state returns.

Exactly how much is uncertain. The&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/blog/big-beautiful-bill-state-implications-snap-medicaid-no-tax-on-overtime-tips/" target="_blank">review</a>&nbsp;by Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation, estimates it will be at least $170 million and could be as much as $429 million if state lawmakers pass tax cuts that mirror provisions in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">legislation approved in the U.S. House</a>.

Dylan Grundman O’Neill, senior state tax policy analyst at the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said Walczak’s estimate is sound. O’Neill said he is working to estimate how much Missouri’s revenues would be reduced further from the bill’s increase in the limit on the itemized deduction for state and local taxes.

The potential reduction in state revenue caused by federal changes, coupled with the new exemption for&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-bill-exempting-capital-gains-from-income-tax-sent-to-governor/">capital gains income</a>&nbsp;and expanded property tax credit for some retirees and people with disabilities passed by the Missouri legislature earlier this year, could cause the coming fiscal year to be the fourth in a row where revenue growth&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/17/missouri-tax-revenues-declining-in-first-months-of-fiscal-year-raising-concerns/">does not keep up with inflation</a>.

And the prospect that those federal tax changes and state tax cuts will put the squeeze on Missouri’s budget hangs like a shadow over the legislature as it&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-for-kansas-city-stadiums-st-louis-disaster-funding/">reconvenes this week</a>&nbsp;to consider whether to set aside almost $1.4 billion in state taxes over the next 30 years to finance professional sports stadiums in Kansas City

“We know the state budget years ahead are going to be challenging, and the amount of general revenue that we have is something that I’m taking very seriously as a businessman, and what it’s going to take in future years,” said Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe.

The state budget for the coming fiscal year, awaiting action by Kehoe, would spend $15.8 billion in general revenue while collections are estimated at $13.6 billion. The budget’s draw on the state’s surplus and uncertainty about future collections is why a spending bill also on the special session agenda has only $50 million more in general revenue, Kehoe said last week.

Missouri’s state income tax is linked to the federal tax system. The state tax form starts with the adjusted gross income calculated on the federal return and grants filers the same standard deduction.

The approximately 10% of taxpayers who itemize deductions are allowed to keep most of what they report to the IRS and add some deductions for Social Security and other payroll taxes.

The bill approved by the U.S. House includes a temporary $1,000 increase for the federal standard deduction,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2025" target="_blank">$15,000 for single filers this year</a>. That would reduce Missouri revenue by about $124 million, Walczak said.

The new deduction for interest on motor vehicle loans would be added to the federal form in a way that reduces the adjusted gross income amount. That change is estimated to reduce state revenue by $46 million, he said.

“They’re putting that above the line there,” he said. “I don’t understand why. I don’t think anyone knows why they choose to do it this way.”

It would require action by state lawmakers to reverse the effect, Walczak said.

“A state could choose to have a modification where they add back the subtracted amount for auto loans, but they would have to choose to do that,” he said.

For most taxpayers,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/repub/no-tax-on-tips-child-tax-credit-and-business-tax-cuts-survive-in-big-house-gop-bill/">income derived from tips</a>&nbsp;and overtime would be exempt from the income tax entirely. Like reversing the auto loan deduction, making Missouri law mirror that benefit would have to be done by the legislature, Walczak said.

The two exemptions would reduce Missouri state revenues by about $259 million.

“We put those numbers there because there are states that are saying that they want to follow the federal government and exempt tips and overtime,” he said. “So we wanted to show what it would cost if they did that.”&nbsp;

The change in the $10,000 cap on the deduction for state and local taxes to $40,000 is one of the hardest pieces of the federal bill to estimate, O’Neill said.&nbsp;

Before the cap was put in place by Congress in 2017, more than 30% of taxpayers itemized their deductions. When the standard deduction was doubled — and when mortgage loan rates were low — the rate of itemizers plummeted.

The deduction covers state and local income and property taxes. Missouri’s current tax forms subtract state income tax payments from the amount claimed, for those under the cap, allowing the rest.

Itemizers who claim the maximum calculate the share of the tax payments that come from income tax, and subtraction a pro-rated amount from the $10,000 limit.

For example, the owner of a home in Columbia that the assessor appraises at $1.5 million pays just under $20,000 in property taxes. If income taxes are 90% of the total state and local taxes included on that person’s federal form, the owner would retain a $1,000 deduction for their state return under current law.

With the cap increased to $40,000, the taxpayer would retain a $4,000 deduction. The net effect on state taxes would be a $141 cut for that taxpayer.

“The more the congressional bill raises that cap, the more relevant that provision becomes for states,” O’Neill said. “Missouri is one of the states that has relatively high exposure to that change because of its rolling conformity to the federal tax code.”

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that Missouri taxpayers would see their federal tax bills drop by $9.1 billion, with more than&nbsp;<a href="https://itep.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/OBBB-20250519-Missouri.png" target="_blank">one-fifth of that total</a>&nbsp;going to the 1% of Missouri taxpayers who have an income greater than $689,300.

Filers in that group would receive an average tax cut of $58,490.&nbsp;

Taxpayers in the lowest 40% of filers would receive one-twentieth of the tax cuts under the bill.

The new costs imposed by the bill include a possible&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/23/cuts-to-food-aid-endorsed-by-congressional-gop-could-cost-missouri-400-million/">$400 million annually</a>&nbsp;to maintain the food benefits program known as SNAP. Missouri would have to pick up an estimated 25% of the cost of providing the aid because Missouri’s error rate on payments was 10% in 2023, which would mean the highest cost share.

Missouri will end the current fiscal year with an unobligated general revenue balance of $2.6 billion, the state budget office estimated when Kehoe’s spending proposal was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">released in January</a>.

Even after spending $1 billion of the accumulated balance, it is historically large and almost $900 million more than was predicted a year earlier. Two factors played into that increase — revenues in fiscal 2024 that were almost $300 million more than anticipated and a gap between budgeted amounts and actual costs, mainly due to understaffing.

Kehoe’s January budget anticipates the surplus would fall to $1.4 billion by the end of the coming fiscal year in June 2026.&nbsp;

In the coming special session, Kehoe will be under pressure to allow more money to be spent in the appropriations bill.&nbsp;

“I don’t believe that it’s the government or the state’s job to accumulate a billion dollars to look at in the bank,” said state Sen. Lincoln Hough, the Springfield Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I agree with a healthy reserve. I’m fine with that. But this billion and a half dollars that we have sitting in the bank while we’ve got hospitals that are closing down and child care facilities that need support… it’s the whole list of projects.”

There should be some allowance for lawmakers to add items to the bill, he said.

“I’m not naive enough to think we’re going to put together a $513 million capital improvements package and drop that,” Hough said.

The budget revenue estimate&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-revenue-estimate-predicts-70-million-drop-in-state-tax-receipts-through-june/">made in December</a>&nbsp;anticipates a slight decline in revenue in the current year and a slight increase in the coming year.&nbsp;

That estimate was made before lawmakers passed the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-bill-exempting-capital-gains-from-income-tax-sent-to-governor/">tax cut worth about $285 million</a>&nbsp;in the coming year by official estimates but&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/07/missouri-lawmakers-set-to-pass-capital-gains-tax-cut-with-questions-about-its-total-cost/">forecast to be much more</a>&nbsp;by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, supports the legislation to keep the Chiefs and Royals in the state. She also said there should be more for the appropriations bill.

“We need to be concerned about where we’re spending our dollars, but I also think that we have to be doing it responsibly,” Aune said.

But she is also concerned about the revenue impact of the federal budget bill and the tax cut awaiting action from Kehoe.

“We are in a position right now where we are seeing revenues dwindling,” Aune said. “With everything that has been passed recently, it has the potential to put Missouri in a much more difficult position.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746787756639.png" alt="&nbsp;Missouri Senate Appropriations Chairman Lincoln Hough, right, discusses a budget item May 8 with House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton during negotiations over the fiscal 2026 budget (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Missouri Senate Appropriations Chairman Lincoln Hough, right, discusses a budget item May 8 with House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton during negotiations over the fiscal 2026 budget (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>State lawmakers return to work this week to tackle tax breaks for sports stadiums against a backdrop of sluggish revenues and a declining surplus</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Along with&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/23/cuts-to-food-aid-endorsed-by-congressional-gop-could-cost-missouri-400-million/">hundreds of millions</a>&nbsp;in potential&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/federal-medicaid-cuts-could-leave-missouri-with-huge-budget-shortfall/">new costs for Missouri</a>&nbsp;taxpayers, an analysis of the budget bill backed by Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump shows it would also cut state revenue as tax changes at the federal level are reflected in state returns.Exactly how much is uncertain. The&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/blog/big-beautiful-bill-state-implications-snap-medicaid-no-tax-on-overtime-tips/" target="_blank">review</a>&nbsp;by Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation, estimates it will be at least $170 million and could be as much as $429 million if state lawmakers pass tax cuts that mirror provisions in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">legislation approved in the U.S. House</a>.Dylan Grundman O’Neill, senior state tax policy analyst at the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said Walczak’s estimate is sound. O’Neill said he is working to estimate how much Missouri’s revenues would be reduced further from the bill’s increase in the limit on the itemized deduction for state and local taxes.The potential reduction in state revenue caused by federal changes, coupled with the new exemption for&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-bill-exempting-capital-gains-from-income-tax-sent-to-governor/">capital gains income</a>&nbsp;and expanded property tax credit for some retirees and people with disabilities passed by the Missouri legislature earlier this year, could cause the coming fiscal year to be the fourth in a row where revenue growth&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/17/missouri-tax-revenues-declining-in-first-months-of-fiscal-year-raising-concerns/">does not keep up with inflation</a>.And the prospect that those federal tax changes and state tax cuts will put the squeeze on Missouri’s budget hangs like a shadow over the legislature as it&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-for-kansas-city-stadiums-st-louis-disaster-funding/">reconvenes this week</a>&nbsp;to consider whether to set aside almost $1.4 billion in state taxes over the next 30 years to finance professional sports stadiums in Kansas City“We know the state budget years ahead are going to be challenging, and the amount of general revenue that we have is something that I’m taking very seriously as a businessman, and what it’s going to take in future years,” said Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe.The state budget for the coming fiscal year, awaiting action by Kehoe, would spend $15.8 billion in general revenue while collections are estimated at $13.6 billion. The budget’s draw on the state’s surplus and uncertainty about future collections is why a spending bill also on the special session agenda has only $50 million more in general revenue, Kehoe said last week.<h2>Federal impacts</h2>Missouri’s state income tax is linked to the federal tax system. The state tax form starts with the adjusted gross income calculated on the federal return and grants filers the same standard deduction.The approximately 10% of taxpayers who itemize deductions are allowed to keep most of what they report to the IRS and add some deductions for Social Security and other payroll taxes.The bill approved by the U.S. House includes a temporary $1,000 increase for the federal standard deduction,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2025" target="_blank">$15,000 for single filers this year</a>. That would reduce Missouri revenue by about $124 million, Walczak said.The new deduction for interest on motor vehicle loans would be added to the federal form in a way that reduces the adjusted gross income amount. That change is estimated to reduce state revenue by $46 million, he said.“They’re putting that above the line there,” he said. “I don’t understand why. I don’t think anyone knows why they choose to do it this way.”It would require action by state lawmakers to reverse the effect, Walczak said.“A state could choose to have a modification where they add back the subtracted amount for auto loans, but they would have to choose to do that,” he said.For most taxpayers,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/repub/no-tax-on-tips-child-tax-credit-and-business-tax-cuts-survive-in-big-house-gop-bill/">income derived from tips</a>&nbsp;and overtime would be exempt from the income tax entirely. Like reversing the auto loan deduction, making Missouri law mirror that benefit would have to be done by the legislature, Walczak said.The two exemptions would reduce Missouri state revenues by about $259 million.“We put those numbers there because there are states that are saying that they want to follow the federal government and exempt tips and overtime,” he said. “So we wanted to show what it would cost if they did that.”&nbsp;The change in the $10,000 cap on the deduction for state and local taxes to $40,000 is one of the hardest pieces of the federal bill to estimate, O’Neill said.&nbsp;Before the cap was put in place by Congress in 2017, more than 30% of taxpayers itemized their deductions. When the standard deduction was doubled — and when mortgage loan rates were low — the rate of itemizers plummeted.The deduction covers state and local income and property taxes. Missouri’s current tax forms subtract state income tax payments from the amount claimed, for those under the cap, allowing the rest.Itemizers who claim the maximum calculate the share of the tax payments that come from income tax, and subtraction a pro-rated amount from the $10,000 limit.For example, the owner of a home in Columbia that the assessor appraises at $1.5 million pays just under $20,000 in property taxes. If income taxes are 90% of the total state and local taxes included on that person’s federal form, the owner would retain a $1,000 deduction for their state return under current law.With the cap increased to $40,000, the taxpayer would retain a $4,000 deduction. The net effect on state taxes would be a $141 cut for that taxpayer.“The more the congressional bill raises that cap, the more relevant that provision becomes for states,” O’Neill said. “Missouri is one of the states that has relatively high exposure to that change because of its rolling conformity to the federal tax code.”The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that Missouri taxpayers would see their federal tax bills drop by $9.1 billion, with more than&nbsp;<a href="https://itep.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/OBBB-20250519-Missouri.png" target="_blank">one-fifth of that total</a>&nbsp;going to the 1% of Missouri taxpayers who have an income greater than $689,300.Filers in that group would receive an average tax cut of $58,490.&nbsp;Taxpayers in the lowest 40% of filers would receive one-twentieth of the tax cuts under the bill.The new costs imposed by the bill include a possible&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/23/cuts-to-food-aid-endorsed-by-congressional-gop-could-cost-missouri-400-million/">$400 million annually</a>&nbsp;to maintain the food benefits program known as SNAP. Missouri would have to pick up an estimated 25% of the cost of providing the aid because Missouri’s error rate on payments was 10% in 2023, which would mean the highest cost share.<h2>State financial picture</h2>Missouri will end the current fiscal year with an unobligated general revenue balance of $2.6 billion, the state budget office estimated when Kehoe’s spending proposal was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">released in January</a>.Even after spending $1 billion of the accumulated balance, it is historically large and almost $900 million more than was predicted a year earlier. Two factors played into that increase — revenues in fiscal 2024 that were almost $300 million more than anticipated and a gap between budgeted amounts and actual costs, mainly due to understaffing.Kehoe’s January budget anticipates the surplus would fall to $1.4 billion by the end of the coming fiscal year in June 2026.&nbsp;In the coming special session, Kehoe will be under pressure to allow more money to be spent in the appropriations bill.&nbsp;“I don’t believe that it’s the government or the state’s job to accumulate a billion dollars to look at in the bank,” said state Sen. Lincoln Hough, the Springfield Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I agree with a healthy reserve. I’m fine with that. But this billion and a half dollars that we have sitting in the bank while we’ve got hospitals that are closing down and child care facilities that need support… it’s the whole list of projects.”There should be some allowance for lawmakers to add items to the bill, he said.“I’m not naive enough to think we’re going to put together a $513 million capital improvements package and drop that,” Hough said.The budget revenue estimate&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-revenue-estimate-predicts-70-million-drop-in-state-tax-receipts-through-june/">made in December</a>&nbsp;anticipates a slight decline in revenue in the current year and a slight increase in the coming year.&nbsp;That estimate was made before lawmakers passed the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-bill-exempting-capital-gains-from-income-tax-sent-to-governor/">tax cut worth about $285 million</a>&nbsp;in the coming year by official estimates but&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/07/missouri-lawmakers-set-to-pass-capital-gains-tax-cut-with-questions-about-its-total-cost/">forecast to be much more</a>&nbsp;by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, supports the legislation to keep the Chiefs and Royals in the state. She also said there should be more for the appropriations bill.“We need to be concerned about where we’re spending our dollars, but I also think that we have to be doing it responsibly,” Aune said.But she is also concerned about the revenue impact of the federal budget bill and the tax cut awaiting action from Kehoe.“We are in a position right now where we are seeing revenues dwindling,” Aune said. “With everything that has been passed recently, it has the potential to put Missouri in a much more difficult position.”

Proposed federal tax changes could mean $170M or more cut to Missouri state revenues

Former KFEQ Ag Director Tom Brand has released a new book.  

'Welts on Your Butt a Calf Could Suck: Reflections on Faith, Family and a Farm Kids' Life is a book Brand has tried to write for some time, and says is full of many stories 

"Some people might call it a bathroom book because it's just short reads, but it's probably not what I envisioned 20 some years ago, I was thinking more of a memoir of things," Brand tells KFEQmunnity show host Brent Martin.  "Just some humorous stories I've learned through the years and maybe some travel adventures and that kind of thing, and some might call it a bit of a memoir." 

Brand says he had wanted to write a book for some time, but lost motivation, before rediscovering his joy for writing while doing articles for the Nodaway News Leader 

"I was probably a few months into it and someone said you ought to write a book," Brand says.  "Well, I've talked about writing a book for quite a while." 

Brand says this book though, was not the book he had originally set out to write 

"There's still a book in the works about my heart attack and the experiences surrounding that, that I'm going to say is a third to halfway written. That's been a bit of a heavier lift because that's more emotional than this has been," Brand explains. 

Brand says while writing the book, he accessed some memory rooms he hasn't visited for years 

"Some of those were a big smile on the face, like visiting family that I hadn't seen for a long time, others were an emotional tug at the heartstrings," Brand says.  "I will admit, there are some stories in here that I don't know that I could actually read out loud without choking up." 

The book is available to purchase on Amazon or on RichardsonPress.com.  Copies are also available at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau.  

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748884094079.jpeg" alt="Welts_BookCover_TomBrand.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Welts_BookCover_TomBrand.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE Former KFEQ Ag Director Tom Brand has released a new book. 'Welts on Your Butt a Calf Could Suck: Reflections on Faith, Family and a Farm Kids' Life is a book Brand has tried to write for some time, and says is full of many stories "Some people might call it a bathroom book because it's just short reads, but it's probably not what I envisioned 20 some years ago, I was thinking more of a memoir of things," Brand tells KFEQmunnity show host Brent Martin. "Just some humorous stories I've learned through the years and maybe some travel adventures and that kind of thing, and some might call it a bit of a memoir." Brand says he had wanted to write a book for some time, but lost motivation, before rediscovering his joy for writing while doing articles for the Nodaway News Leader "I was probably a few months into it and someone said you ought to write a book," Brand says. "Well, I've talked about writing a book for quite a while." Brand says this book though, was not the book he had originally set out to write "There's still a book in the works about my heart attack and the experiences surrounding that, that I'm going to say is a third to halfway written. That's been a bit of a heavier lift because that's more emotional than this has been," Brand explains. Brand says while writing the book, he accessed some memory rooms he hasn't visited for years "Some of those were a big smile on the face, like visiting family that I hadn't seen for a long time, others were an emotional tug at the heartstrings," Brand says. "I will admit, there are some stories in here that I don't know that I could actually read out loud without choking up." The book is available to purchase on Amazon or on RichardsonPress.com. Copies are also available at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Former KFEQ Ag Director Tom Brand writes book about growing up on farm

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7H6wSwDzmtVr35n2Hwz7Bv?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4TcsB6GyFlCghrPbLedtJz?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

A St. Joseph man
jumped to his death Sunday night, jumping from the Riverside Road bridge
over Highway 36.

St. Joseph police
report the man jumped from the bridge at approximately 9:45pm even as Missouri
Department of Transportation workers were making repairs to the bridge.

Police
report the man was pronounced dead at the scene on Highway 36.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA St. Joseph man
jumped to his death Sunday night, jumping from the Riverside Road bridge
over Highway 36.St. Joseph police
report the man jumped from the bridge at approximately 9:45pm even as Missouri
Department of Transportation workers were making repairs to the bridge.Police
report the man was pronounced dead at the scene on Highway 36.The investigation
continues.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph man jumps to his death

Missouri lawmakers
return to Jefferson City today for a special legislative session, primarily to
consider an incentive package to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in
Missouri.

State Sen. Rusty
Black, a Republican from Chillicothe, says discussions continue as Gov. Mike
Kehoe attempts to gain the votes needed to approve the package.

“I do think that there’s
a path for this to end up on the governor’s desk and signed, but I certainly
don’t think all the negotiation is over yet,” Black says.

By BRENT MARTINMissouri lawmakers
return to Jefferson City today for a special legislative session, primarily to
consider an incentive package to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in
Missouri.State Sen. Rusty
Black, a Republican from Chillicothe, says discussions continue as Gov. Mike
Kehoe attempts to gain the votes needed to approve the package.“I do think that there’s
a path for this to end up on the governor’s desk and signed, but I certainly
don’t think all the negotiation is over yet,” Black says.Kansas has an
offer on the table to lure both the Chiefs and the Royals across the state
line. Other cities, such as Nashville and Salt Lake City, are reputably
interested in luring the Royals away.Black says
supporters must overcome objections that the issue only concerns western
Missouri.“If you’re from
St. Louis, this is for Kansas City and we don’t care about that,” Black says. “And
we’ve got to get past some of that I believe if we’re going to get this piece
of legislation passed.”Black says St.
Louis should actually be an example. He recalls driving by the former Edward Jones
Dome, now the Dome at America’s Center, and noticing it hasn’t spurred economic
development in downtown St. Louis since the Rams left.Black views this as
an economic development issue.“And sports teams
in my mind, professional sports teams in Rusty Black’s mind, they’re somewhat
like talking about a Ford plant closing down or a General Motors plant closing
down or, in St. Joe, all of the sudden Altec decides that they’re going to
leave, that has a lot more economic impact than inside their chain link fence.”The governor also
wants lawmakers to consider a few capital improvement projects as well as tax
incentives for St. Louis area homeowners who suffered property damage in the
recent storms.Black says there
could be a possibility of reviving projects for St. Joseph, along with
improvements for North Central Missouri College and other northwest Missouri
interests in the original $500 million capital improvement package.“At this point in
time, they’re not in there, but it’s not like that I’m not paying attention to
what’s going to move forward and if the opportunity comes, I’m probably going
to ask for those things to be included again,” Black says.Another obstacle
to overcome in this special legislative session is the way the regular session
ended. The Missouri Senate adjourned abruptly and early with much acrimony
after Republicans used a parliamentary procedure to cut off debate and force
votes on two controversial issues.Black says the
tensions haven’t been smoothed over, at least not yet.“We’re going to
have to work through those and hope that we can find a path even though there’s
still hurt feelings,” Black says.Lawmakers will
also consider authorizing tax breaks for St. Louis area homeowners who suffered
property damage during recent storms.