Omnibus economic development bill signed today

July 10, 2019 – Gov. Mike Parson has signed a major economic development bill into law.

Senate Bill 68, sponsored by Sen. Lincoln Hough and handled in the House by Rep. John Wiemann, provides incentives that may be used by General Motors in retooling the Wentzville plant, a scholarship/loan program designed to raise the educational level of potential employees, a reworking and renaming of the existing Missouri Works and related training programs, and a deal closing fund that will allow the Governor, through the Department of Economic Development to grant incentives in advance that would otherwise be granted over time.

As the bill survived a major filibuster in the Missouri Senate, Governor Parson issued a statement: “Today’s final vote is a complete victory for Missourians and jobs in every corner of the state. We are sending a powerful message to the nation that we are ready to compete with every state for more jobs,” said Governor Parson. “From day one, I’ve talked about the importance of workforce development and infrastructure – and thanks to House and Senate Leadership, State Representatives Kathy Swan and Nick Schroer, and State Senator Lincoln Hough, we now have the necessary economic development tools to make an important investment in the skills of Missouri workers. We are now on track to be one of the most pro-growth, pro-jobs administrations in Missouri’s history.”

As a co-chairman of the Ford 2020 Task Force that designed the original Automotive Manufacturing Jobs Act, Ray McCarty applauded the revisions of that Act contained in the bill.

“We were successful in passing the original Act despite concerns that Ford and their suppliers may not deliver,” McCarty said. “To date, Ford has not only retained jobs at the Claycomo plant that Missouri was in danger of losing, they have now added more than 5,000 jobs at the plant making it the largest volume facility for them in the world. We hope General Motors is able to use these new incentives in a similar way, and we are glad Governor Parson signed the bill today,” he said.