JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on legislation pending in the Missouri Legislature (all times local):
6:35 p.m.
Missouri senators have passed a business incentive bill backed by Gov. Mike Parson following a more than 27-hour filibuster.
Senators voted 25-8 on Tuesday to send the measure to Parson’s desk.
The bill would authorize up to $50 million of tax credits for General Motors to expand an assembly plant at Wentzville.
It also would authorize a new college scholarship for adults and give state economic development officials the ability to give immediate tax breaks to other businesses that agree to add jobs and expand their facilities.
Members of the Conservative Caucus blocked all work in the Senate in opposition to the deal-closing fund and scholarships.
But Republican Sen. Bob Onder says Conservative Caucus members stopped stalling in order to allow a sweeping abortion bill to be passed before lawmakers’ Friday deadline.
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6:10 p.m.
A Missouri Senate filibuster against a business incentive bill backed by Gov. Mike Parson has ended after more than 27 hours.
Republicans in the Senate’s Conservative Caucus on Tuesday quit stalling and allowed work in the chamber to continue. Republican Sen. Bill Eigel says they’re ending the filibuster in hopes of allowing a sweeping abortion bill to be passed before lawmakers’ Friday deadline.
Members of the Conservative Caucus were filibustering in opposition to parts of a proposed incentives package for General Motors.
The measure would authorize up to $50 million of tax credits for General Motors to expand an assembly plant at Wentzville. It also would authorize a new college scholarship for adults and give state economic development officials the ability to give immediate tax breaks to other businesses that agree to add jobs and expand their facilities.
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2:40 p.m.
A Senate filibuster against a business incentive bill backed by Gov. Mike Parson has passed the 24-hour mark with no immediate end in sight.
Republicans in the Senate’s Conservative Caucus were blocking all work in the Senate on Tuesday because of opposition to parts of the legislation.
The measure would authorize up to $50 million of tax credits for General Motors to expand an assembly plant at Wentzville. It also would authorize a new college scholarship for adults and give state economic development officials the ability to give immediate tax breaks to other businesses that agree to add jobs and expand their facilities.
Parson is pushing for an up-or-down Senate vote on the bill, which passed the House last week.
Opponents want to remove the deal-closing fund and scholarships.
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11:30 a.m.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is pushing for a vote on a package of new tax breaks for businesses and scholarships for workers despite a lengthy filibuster in the state Senate.
Parson said Tuesday that he wants an up-or-down vote on the full legislation. It would authorize up to $50 million of tax credits for General Motors, allow new upfront incentives for other businesses and create a scholarship for adults to finish their college degrees.
Republicans in the Senate’s Conservative Caucus have blocked work in the chamber. They have denounced the upfront incentives as a “slush fund” and also opposed the new scholarships.
Parson says he doesn’t want to pare back the bill to address only the GM plant in Wentzville because he wants something benefiting workers statewide.
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9 a.m.
A group of Republican lawmakers is blocking work in the Missouri Senate in protest of legislation that would create new tax breaks for businesses.
Members of the Senate’s Conservative Caucus were continuing a filibustering Tuesday morning that began around 2:30 p.m. Monday and ran all through the night.
At issue is a package backed by Republican Gov. Mike Parson that would allow General Motors to receive up to $50 million in tax credits to expand a plant that makes trucks and vans. Some senators say they are fine with that, but oppose other parts of the legislation passed by the House that would create scholarships for adults finishing their college degrees and let Parson’s administration provide upfront tax breaks to other businesses.
Lawmakers face a Friday deadline to pass bills.
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