The special legislative session in Missouri did not come to an end today, despite warnings from House and Senate leaders that they would go home if an agreement on a wide-ranging tax credit bill wasn’t reached by today's adjournments.
Instead, both chambers will hold technical sessions, where just a handful of lawmakers gavel in for a few minutes and then adjourn. Senate President Pro-tem Rob Mayer (R, Dexter) says his chamber will only meet in technical sessions until an agreement is reached on tax credits, or until time runs out in early November, whichever comes first.
“The whole Republican caucus, we met in my office and had some pretty passionate discussion on how we should proceed," Mayer said. "We came to the conclusion that this was the best way to go forward, that it still gave the House the opportunity to pass...an economic development bill.”
The Senate is holding a technical session on Monday, while the House has one scheduled Thursday.
“The special session remains open," said House Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones (R, Eureka). "I am not confident at this time that there will be any further progress, but the fact that we have adjourned only for a technical (session) shows, to the Senate, that we remain committed to working together for all Missourians.”
Both chambers remain divided over whether historic preservation and low-income housing tax credits should be capped, and over how much oversight Governor Jay Nixon’s Economic Development Department should have over some incentives.
