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| 6/18/2010 11:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Lawmakers
face call-back
to Mo. capitol
Jefferson City - Gov. Jay Nixon's expected call Friday for a special jobs session would find bipartisan support in Warrensburg.
Courtney Cole, a Democrat running in the 121st House District, called for a special session May 24 on the Manufacturing Jobs Act and repeated the call Thursday.
"I feel it is necessary to pass some sort of jobs bill," Cole said. "I'm disappointed (lawmakers) didn't do this in the first go-around, when they were supposed to be focused on taking care of the people."
Rep. Denny Hoskins, a Republican who
will face Cole in November, said he sees merit in a special session.
"If we can all come to an agreement and it creates more jobs, I'm for it," Hoskins said.
If lawmakers had united behind the bill during the regular session, the state would not have to shoulder the cost of a special session now, Cole said.
"I know that it's going to cost the state for us to hold a special session, but I feel it is the responsible thing to do because there are many people out of work," Cole said.
Hoskins said the House passed a version of the Manufacturing Jobs Act, which then underwent revisions amid Senate opposition.
On the Senate floor on the session's final day May 14, Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit, blasted the bill as "a direct give-away" to Ford Motor Co., which has a facility in the Kansas City-North suburb of Claycomo.
"It's called the state government stickup," Bartle said.
Sen. Luann Ridgeway - R-Smithville, whose district includes the Ford plant - filibustered other bills to force a vote on the Manufacturing Jobs Act. The strategy worked to gain approval for the bill, but took precious time in the session's closing hours.
"Part of (the failure) was the Senate sat on it for so long before adding stuff to it and then sending it back over to the House," Hoskins said. "There are some, especially senators, who have true concerns about tax credits and tax credit reform."
The Manufacturing Jobs Act would provide tax incentives to any company - with Ford Motor Co. expected to stand first in line - to last 10 years with an annual cap of $15 million. The bill would have let suppliers or manufacturers that create or retain jobs keep employee withholding taxes.
Other states - Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois - offer incentives of at least $100 million each to woo Ford, which employs about 3,900 union workers at Claycomo.
Hoskins said the bill has a chance to win approval in a special session, which would start June 28.
"I believe the House would pass it again," he said.
Sen. David Pearce said Thursday that calling a special session likely will depend on whether House and Senate leaders believe they can pass a bill. The jobs bill would have to pass in conjunction with a state pension plan revision - with the revision offsetting the cost of the incentives.
"It would be a package deal," Pearce said, adding the pension issue passed the Senate quickly, but the House had issues. "The question is whether there's an appetite to pass that in the House.
"It would be very safe to say the leadership in both the House and Senate are trying to see if they can work something out. If they can't come up with somewhat of a preliminary agreement, I doubt a special session will be called."
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