South KC Chamber Legislative Agenda

2024 PRIORITIES

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
The Chambers support initiatives aimed at attracting, retaining, and training a strong workforce.

CHILDCARE
The Chambers support affordable and accessible childcare for workers in Missouri.

PUBLIC SAFTEY
The Chambers support legislation to address public safety issues throughout the state, including Blair’s Law which would make discharging a firearm with criminal negligence in cities a state offense.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Chambers support initiatives aimed at attracting, retaining, and training a strong workforce as well as fair and equitable taxation systems, tax incentives, and tax credits used to foster an environment conducive to business and economic growth. We also support efforts that enhance public safety, provide affordable access to childcare and create housing that is affordable and safe, all of which create an environment of business retention and growth.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

  • Support adequate funding to for programs and initiatives to help train critical
    employees in high-demand career and technical education fields.
  •  Support affordable and accessible childcare for workers in Missouri.
  • Support addressing the attainability of early childhood education, addressing barriers to entry for individuals to enter/re-enter the workplace, training dollars, supporting apprenticeships, re-skilling, incentives for retirees to return to work, Missouri One Start, A+ scholarships, second chance hiring, training for transitioning inmates, measures to enable Missourians with disabilities to better access the workforce, and reliable transit to work centers.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

  • Support enhancing initiatives to improve the climate for small business growth and development including seed capital funds and programs, additional funding for state innovation centers and small business and technology development centers, and funding for the Missouri Technology Corporation.
  • Oppose discriminatory legislation, which would detrimentally impact economic development and also Missouri’s ability to attract businesses, sporting events, tourism, & conventions.
  • Support the 2024 Kansas City Consensus Agenda for Economic Development.

GENERAL BUSINESS

  • Support continuation of the earnings tax.
  • Support Blair’s Law, legislation to make discharging a firearm with criminal negligence in cities a state offense.
  •  Support legislation to allow businesses to add their phone numbers to the state “no call” list.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY

The Chambers encourage investments in energy, including reliability and efficiency, and support policies that provide balance between public health and environmental protections without unreasonable economic burdens on industry, business, and Missouri residents.

  • Support policies that encourage investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and reliability, and enable balanced energy solutions that do not eliminate energy options or place unreasonable economic burdens on industry, businesses, and residents.

HEALTHCARE

The Chambers support initiatives that promote improved health and wellness of community members including legislation that helps to effectively expand the labor pool for prescribers, which assists healthcare providers with better meeting the needs of the communities they serve.

  • Support a comprehensive statewide response to the substance use disorder epidemic with additional resources, to include prevention, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), recovery support and recovery housing components.
  • Support recommendations/efforts to match MO Healthnet reimbursement increases with inflation in order to sustain Safety Net providers in providing healthcare services to the highest need, most at-risk populations in Missouri.
  • Support legislation to change state regulations that currently prevent St. Joseph Medical Center from becoming a Level 3 Trauma Center.

EDUCATION

The Chambers support all levels of education and special education funding to strengthen the quality of education in the area, thus improving the business viability and workforce development of the region.

Pre-K through12 Education

  • Support legislation to provide sufficient funding for universal, high quality pre-k education for all Kansas City Metropolitan area residents and promotes equitable and inclusive educational opportunities for our diverse learns, with the inclusion of the public school districts as key players in providing those services.
  • Support overall state funding, per pupil, in an effort to make Missouri rank in the top one-half (currently ranked 47th) of all states in the country, including fully funding transportation.
  • Oppose legislation that would expand charter schools statewide unless a neutral party conducts a feasibility/sustainability study, and the locally elected school board is the sole sponsor.
  • Support expansion of statewide broadband to ensure all students have access to high-speed internet services and that these services are affordable for all families.

Higher Education

  • Support the Missouri Community College Association’s request for $10 million to increase the core funding to support Missouri community colleges, moving them closer to funding provided to state universities.
  • Support continued support for workforce develop projects through MoExcels funding.
  • Support a full transfer degree, guaranteeing transfer of a 60-credit hour associates degree from community colleges to the public universities.

TRANSPORTATION

The Chambers support a long term, sustainable transportation funding plan that delivers a sound asset management-based approach to maintaining existing roads and bridges, improving safety, and providing for economic development. We also encourage equitable funding in all modes of transportation including roads and bridges, rail, public transit, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, and Missouri’s waterways.

  • Support and monitor the development and implementation of a comprehensive multimodal transit strategy for the Kansas City area.
  • Support legislation that would enable MoDOT to reimburse local municipalities for providing trash and mowing services that are currently the responsibility of MoDOT.

LOCAL PRIORITIES

LOCAL PRIORITIES

  • Support the development of more transit options to help employers get employees to and from their jobs and training opportunities.
  • Support the continuation of free bus service in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
  • Support legislation that would require cities within a 2-mile radius of a proposed landfill to give their approval prior to development.
  • Support the creation of an interim state task force to research sustainable and responsible alternatives for landfills.

ADDITIONAL ISSUES WE’RE MONITORING

The following issues are important to the Chamber and legislation will be monitored as it is introduced.

  • Monitor ethics reform
  • Monitor unemployment compensation reform
  • Monitor provisions of telemedicine services to improve accessibility to healthcare services for our communities.
  • Monitor efforts to create legislation to regulate short-term rentals.
  • Monitor implementation and funding of the Employment First legislation passed in 2023.
  • Monitor film tax credits.
  • Monitor time of use legislation for utilities.

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