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Missouri House Passes 'Border War Cease-Fire' Bill

The Mo. House
Marshall Griffin/St. Louis Public Radio
The Mo. House

The Missouri House has passed legislation aimed at declaring a "cease-fire" in the so-called economic "border war" between Missouri and Kansas.

House Bill 1646 would ban Missouri from offering tax incentives to businesses in Douglas, Johnson, Miami andWyandottecounties in Kansas, all within the greater Kansas City area.  The ban would only take effect if Kansas passes a similar law to stop offering incentives to businesses in Jackson, Cass, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri.  It was sponsored by House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka.

"I've seen firsthand what this economic small-ball has done to our western border," Jones said.  "It has simply resulted in shifting jobs back and forth across State Line Road, which has resulted in a deficit in many ways for the states in our region."

 State Rep. Kevin McManus, D-Kansas City, also supported the bill, saying that ending the economic border war would also benefit Kansas.

"Wehave to bring (Kansas) to the table, and we have to figure out a way that makes sense for both states, so that we're not competing against each other, but we're competing together," McManus said before the vote. "Our goal should be bringing jobs to our region and competing with other countries, frankly, in this global economy, not with our neighboring states."

The bill passed overwhelmingly Tuesday, 153-3.  The three "no" votes were cast by state Reps. Michael Frame, D-Eureka, Jeff Pogue, R-Salem, and Nick Marshall, R-Parkville.  Marshall is the only Kansas City-area House Member to vote against the bill.

House Bill 1646 is now in the hands of the Missouri Senate, which sent the House a similar measure last week.  Meanwhile, Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, called for a moratorium back in November by both Kansas and Missouri on the use of tax credits to lure business across the state line.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

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.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He 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 an 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 Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.
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