The completion of the legislative sessions and Missouri and Kansas as well as the end of the 2003-7 Kansas City City Council saw both victories and defeats for the LMC's 2007 public issues agenda:
•In Kansas City, a new ordinance for contractors on city projects passed during the council's last legislative session. The new ordinance, supported by the LMC, resulted from a "more deliberative process" as requested by the LMC and based goals and policies on more accurate demographic studies, including the LMC's, than had been used for early drafts.
•In Missouri, no "TABOR" bill was passed. The LMC opposes "TABOR" legislation. The legislature did pass an LMC-supported bill to regulate public Project Labor Agreements and to enhance prevailing wage enforcement; an expansion of the Quality Jobs Act; restricted TIF reforms to the St. Louis area; and added other economic development incentives. While the state did reauthorize the Medicaid program (now called Missouri HealthNet) and restored funding for a few services cut in 2005, it did not restore most of the Medicaid or other social service cuts as supported by the LMC. It also enacted tax cuts; the LMC's position is that essential services and economic development efforts, including increased eligibility for child care assistance, be restored before tax cuts are implemented. The state passed the tax cuts without full restoration.
•In Kansas, no "TABOR" bill passed, and economic development programs were reauthorized.
The Issues Committee will meet later this year to determine priorities and positions for 2008. The committee will also examine ballot issues and other local issues as they develop throughout the year.
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