The 95th Missouri General Assembly adjourned May 14, 2010.
Due to the current recession and financial crisis, the legislature dealt mainly with the unenviable task of trying to pass a balanced budget. This task was impractical due to the loss of general revenue and no “political will” to increase taxes. Consequently, the budget was balanced by cutting services to Missourians across the board and attempting to cut benefits for Missouri state workers. Missouri is currently ranked 49th in the United States in state employee compensation. Furthermore, there will be no pay raise for state workers in 2010.
Numerous anti-worker bills were filed this session, including opting out of the National Health Care Legislation, Right-to-Work, Paycheck Deception, a repeal of our minimum wage increase, undermining Missouri’s prevailing wage law, and banning PLA’s and unproductive attempts to address the insolvency of the Missouri Workers’ Compensation Second Injury Fund.
We thank all of our friends in the Missouri General Assembly for their support in defeating these harmful measures.
The upcoming 96th Missouri General Assembly should enact legislation to raise the additional revenue necessary to provide the state services and job incentives needed to stimulate the economy for the citizens of the State of Missouri. Unfortunately, Missouri’s 2011 budget projections are worse than 2010’s. No jobs and no revenue equal no growth.
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