****DO NOT OVERRIDE VETO*** Please contact your Legislators now!
SB 641 has been placed on the calendar for a potential override of the veto given by Governor Nixon.
SB 641 would allow compensation in the form of tax deductions to agricultural producers who have suffered loss due to disaster or emergency. This bill would allow retroactive payments dating back to 2014.
SB 1025 has been placed on the calendar for a potential override of the veto given by Governor Nixon.
SB 1025 would allow recreational classes to avoid the current 4% sales tax.
If the veto is overridden on SB 641 it could cost education and other vital programs up to 50 million dollars in tax retributions. SB 1025 would also cost these programs up to an additional 8 million dollars. If these are bills effectively overridden and passed into law the budget that has already been passed by the Missouri Legislature and approved by Governor Nixon will not longer be balanced. The gaps in funding created by these would further cause the funding for education in both elementary, secondary and college to be drastically cut. This comes at a time when many school districts across the state are struggling to fund education. As you know, Missouri ended the 2016 budget year on June 30th with general revenue collections well below the estimate. Decreased revenue then prompted the Governor to restrict state spending for critical services including for early education, k-12 schools transportation, programs for Missourians with disabilities and more. (The list of budget restrictions is available here: http://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/FY_2017_Expenditure_Restrictions_07_06_16.pdf). Adding addition decrease in fund from either SB 641 or SB 1025 would increase these deficits.
To put this into perspective MO Budget Project just released the following information:
**In addition, MBP just released an analysis of the implications of the drop in revenue for the new budget year (FY 2017, which began on July 1st). What we’ve found:
- Because of the FY 2016 general revenue shortfall, revenue needs to grow about 5 percentin the new budget year in order to fully fund the FY 2017 state budget approved by lawmakers. The amount of needed growth is far above the budgeted projection of 4.1 percent.
- If state revenue grows at the lower, projected rate of 4.1 percent, Missouri will face a $216 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year.
- Should the legislature choose to override the Governor’s vetoes of further tax reductions passed in the 2016 legislative session, the budget will be further strained.
Dear Senator,
As a community we prioritize the education of our children. Please vote NO to the override to SB 641 and SB 1025. With the passage of either of these bills vital programs will have to be cut to fund the tax decreases. As you know, Missouri ended the 2016 budget year on June 30th with general revenue collections well below the estimate. Decreased revenue then prompted the Governor to restrict state spending for critical services including for early education, k-12 schools transportation, programs for Missourians with disabilities and more. Adding addition decrease in fund from either SB 641 or SB 1025 would increase these deficits. We ask that you do not do this on the backs of schools and districts that are already struggling with funding due to massive budget cuts federally within the Department of Education. We have watched other states struggle to fund their school and the damage to children this has caused. Please do not pass these and allow for the budget you passed and Governor Nixon approved to stand. Do this for the future, do this for our children!
Sincerely,
You name and PTA
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Carla Wiese
Vice President & Director of Legislation and Advocacy
[email protected]
