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Politics & Government

Senator Discusses Legislative Hits, Misses from 2011 Session

Despite some accomplishments, work remains for the Missouri legislature, said Sen. Jim Lembke.

Missouri State Senator Jim Lembke discussed what he saw as the accomplishments and the work left remaining from the 2011 session of the Missouri General Assembly at a town hall meeting Monday night.

Addressing a supportive crowd of nearly 20 people at the Cliff Cave Branch of the St. Louis County Library, Lembke (R-St. Louis) noted that there were several major pieces of legislation that did not make it through before the General Assembly adjourned May 13.

One such bill was for what Lembke called "Aerotropolis," a plan to provide $360 million in tax breaks for American companies to set up a China hub at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis. The hub would serve as an import point for international freight, which would then be forwarded across the country.

Although it passed through the Missouri House, Lembke was one of a handful of legislators who opposed the bill in the Senate. He said his motivation was not to block the hub, but to pass through reforms to the 61 other tax breaks Missouri gives to industries, individuals and developers as part of the bill.

"(The system of tax breaks) is messy and convoluted... it's not even," he said.

The reforms would have two major components, Lembke said. First, caps would be placed on certain tax credits, increasing the state's revenue. And second, sunset clauses would be imposed to force legislators to vote to renew the credits every four to six years.

"They didn't like it because they would have to justify it against other appropriations," Lembke said.

Several citizens expressed concerns about China's involvement with the project during the question-and-answer part of the event. Lembke responded that it was aimed at boosting the American companies that would transport the cargo once it arrived and was not unlike hubs in major cities such as Chicago and Atlanta.

However, Lembke told his consituents that the bill was important enough that Nixon may call the legislature back into a special session to address the issue. In an interview after the meeting, he said he would be in favor of such a move, provided a compromise could be reached quickly.

While the fate of the hub remains up in the air, the legislative session did have some successes, Lembke said.

He pointed to legislation approving drug testing for welfare recepients and tax deductions for small businesses who hire new employees. He also touted a law requiring voters to provide a picture ID at the polls that will go before Missouri citizens for final approval.

In addition to talking about various bills, Lembke gave his views on the $23 billion budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year passed by the legislature and approved by Nixon.

"Although we passed a balanced budget this year, I would argue we actually did not," Lembke said.

He cited $400 million in expected federal stimulus money as a one-time measure that merely kicked future budget cuts down the road. Lembke joined three other senators in a filibustering effort to remove the funds from the budget. Of the 13 "budget bills" passed by the Missouri legislature, Lembke said he voted for only two.

With Republicans dominating both chambers of the Missouri legislature, Lembke acknowledged that infighting among the GOP made it difficult to move bills through, despite the majorities.

He attributed the differences to disagreements among party leadership and the kind of regional fights that often divide state legislatures. Lembke said such difficulty in passing bills is a good thing, as it serves as a brake on the growth of government.

"The best thing government can do is get out of the way," he said.

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