Missouri 2022 Legislative Session: Week 3 Recap of AARP Missouri's Priorities

Missouri 2022 Legislative Session: Week 3 Recap of AARP Missouri's Priorities

New Congressional Maps Stalled

This week, the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting voted to move forward with the House approved Congressional district map.  In a rare move, Chairman Bernskoetter (R-Jefferson City) moved the maps to a vote on the same day that the committee heard public testimony. 

The vote itself showed the deep divisions within the General Assembly about the new maps, as two St. Louis area Democrats, Sens. Roberts and Williams, joined with three members of the Conservative Caucus, Sens. Hoskins (R-Johnson County), Onder (R- St. Charles County), and Eigel (R-St. Charles County) in opposing the maps. 

St. Louis Area Democrats have been pushing for Congressional District 1 – currently held by Congresswoman Cori Bush – retain strong, minority representation.  The members of the Conservative Caucus have been pushing for maps that ensure more Republicans are elected to Congress, and to a lesser extent, that St Charles County is not split into two districts.

Senate Leadership had planned to move the new maps to a final vote on the floor this week, but the prospect of an extended filibuster pushed the Senate back into negotiations with the Conservative Caucus, who have openly criticized the current Republican Leadership Team, and St. Louis Democrats.  It will be difficult to appease all of the issues, since they seem to be at odds with each other as much as with the current maps.

Leadership in the House and Senate have made passage of the new maps a top priority for the beginning of the Legislative Session, and the failure to pass the maps has put other timely issues, such as the fast track Supplemental Budget, on hold until a compromise can be reached.

Property Tax Relief

The last time property tax reassessments were done, many residents in Jackson County and St. Louis County found themselves paying much higher property taxes than they did in the past.  Many long-time homeowners in developing areas wondered if they would be able to stay in their homes.

When reassessments are done next year, it is expected that many properties will see even higher increases due to recent and dramatic increases in home values in many urban and suburban areas.  Several St. Louis and Kansas City Area legislators are looking for ways to prevent drastic increases on older homeowners. 

Senator Steve Roberts (D-St. Louis) offered two of these ideas this week in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.  Senate Bill 715 would allow municipalities to adopt a local tax credit for lower-income seniors to keep their property tax payments frozen at the level they were when they turned 65.  The other, Senate Joint Resolution 41, proposes a Constitutional Amendment to allow municipalities to approve a freeze on assessment increases for people over age 65 until the property is sold or transferred.  This amendment would have to be approved by the voters of the State of Missouri and then by their individual county before going into effect.

Many legislators of both parties in the St. Louis and Kansas City Metros are looking for ways to reduce, or eliminate increased real property taxes on older homeowners after the next reassessment, and more hearings are expected throughout the Legislative Session.

Broadband Task Force:

Representative Louis Riggs (R-Hannibal) spent much of his year chairing the Interim Committee on Broadband Deployment and hearing from people all over the State of Missouri on where investments in high-speed internet is necessary.

His committee report found that the Pandemic showed that high-speed internet has become a necessity and that Missouri is trailing behind its neighbors in connecting people to this now essential service, both in rural and urban areas.  New funding from the federal government included in the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package will also lead to unprecedented investment in broadband.

Riggs is now proposing a new Broadband Task Force be created to prepare specific recommendations for the Department of Economic Development on how to best invest these funds to connect the most Missourians possible.  The Task Force would include legislators from both parties as well as groups that represent different business and community interests around the state.

AARP has requested that an aging advocate be added to this task force to focus on connectivity, digital literacy, and tele-health for older Missourians, but other interests are pushing for representation as well.  Rural areas want agriculture interests represented, urban areas want a focus on “broadband deserts” in low-income urban neighborhoods, and telecom companies are pushing to control several, if not a majority, of the seats

A committee substitute for the legislation is expected to be offered in the House Utilities Committee next week.