Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones today filed legislation with the goal of instituting a cease fire in the ongoing economic border war between Missouri and Kansas. Jones said it is time to end the war of escalating incentives that have been utilized to poach jobs across the state line.
“Both Kansas and Missouri have offered incentives worth millions of dollars to move jobs from one side of the state line to the other. This has been a back-and-forth battle that has resulted in a net loss for both states,” said Jones, R-Eureka. “While our own governor has remained complacent on the sidelines, I have worked with Governor Brownback to resolve this issue. What we have now is a reasonable solution that will end the border war and provide some stability to the families and employers of the Kansas City region.”
The Speaker’s legislation, HB 1646, would prohibit either state from offering incentives to entice employers to relocate across the border. The bill would apply to the eight counties that make up the Kansas City metro area - Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass in Missouri; Wyandotte, Johnson, Douglas, and Miami in Kansas. Furthermore, the legislation is contingent upon the director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development certifying that Kansas has passed similar legislation or issued an executive order with a similar prohibition on incentives.
The bill also stipulates that Missouri may begin offering incentives for businesses to relocate if Kansas violates the prohibition by offering similar incentives.
The only thing Jones did was plagiarize HB 1515 submitted by Rep. McManus. For him to try to take credit for it is truly reprehensible.
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