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MO Lawmakers Start Pre-Filing Period for January Session

missouri house floor
File Photo
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KBIA News
The Missouri House floor

Missouri lawmakers began pre-filing bills today for next year’s legislative session, which begins January 4th.

by Marshall Griffin (Jefferson City, Mo.) 

The bill, if passed, would allow Missouri residents to deduct up to 5-thousand dollars from their state income taxes for building storm shelters on their properties.  It’s sponsored by Democratic House Member Terry Swinger from the Boot-heel:

“It’ll help people to be safer, and quite frankly I think that’s one of the main things in government we should be doing…we should be looking out for people’s public safety and helping them be safer,” Swinger said.

Other pre-filed bills include yet another legislative attempt to restore local control over the St. Louis Police Department.  And there’s a proposed constitutional amendment that would shorten the annual regular session from 18 weeks to 12 weeks.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.