Representative Jim Neely’s Capitol Report
Celebrating Our Independence
This holiday weekend, as you are enjoying the company of family and friends against the backdrop of dazzling firework displays, I hope you will pause to remember the true significance of Independence Day. We are a nation and a people with innumerable blessings and freedoms for which we must remain ever thankful. That is especially true when you consider the debt we owe to the many heroes who have given their lives to protect and preserve our way of life. It’s important to realize the fireworks that evoke awe and wonder from spectators are really meant to serve as a reminder of the battles fought to create and sustain our nation.
It was one of our founding fathers, John Adams, who predicted we would celebrate our hard-fought independence this way. It was Adams who said about Independence Day that “it ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other ." Adams knew the nation he helped to form, and the independence we had gained, had come at a great cost, and that we, as a nation, should always be grateful for this incredible gift of freedom.
So each year on the Fourth of July we celebrate not because we have a few days off from work, but because we have a lifetime of liberty to enjoy. It was Francis Scott Key who so eloquently wrote in the lyrics of our national anthem about “the rockets’ red glare” and “the bombs bursting in air”, and today we shoot our own “rockets” and “bombs” in celebration of the freedoms that have been fought for and won for past, present and future generations of Americans. As Key also asked in our national anthem, “Oh say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” This Fourth of July we will once again celebrate because it does, and because we are a blessed and fortunate people to call this, the greatest nation in history, our home.
Meet in Missouri Act (HB 1698)
Legislators approved a bill this session to give cities a new tool to help attract more conventions to the state. The General Assembly approved the Meet in Missouri Act to provide grants that will help large conventions that take place in Missouri to recover some of their costs.
Specifically, the act will authorize grants that would cover up to half the operating expenses of a large convention or $1 million, whichever is less. To be eligible, a convention would have to draw at least half of its attendees from out of state. In addition, the anticipated sales tax revenue generated by the event would have to exceed the grant amount. The program will have $3 million each year to award in the form of grants. The bill also includes safeguards to ensure the convention meets its attendance goals. If it falls short, it would have to refund a portion of the grant money.
Investing in Missouri’s Ports (SB 651)
The Missouri General Assembly gave final approval this session to legislation that will encourage additional investment in Missouri’s system of ports. The legislation includes language to create advanced industrial manufacturing zones for the purpose of establishing a dedicated funding source for port improvement and development. The bill also creates tax incentives for entities that utilize Missouri port authorities. One deduction is designed for existing port users who increase their usage of the facility. A second deduction targets new businesses that build within a port authority’s district. And the third deduction will be for each new job created at an international trade facility.
