Friday, July 6, 2007
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
What Missourians are Saying About Gov. Blunt's Veto of House Bill 327
The following Missourians today voiced their support for the governor’s veto of House Bill 327:
"We appreciate the Governor’s careful consideration of House Bill 327 and recognize the difficult decision he had to make on this legislation. We also support his call for a special legislative session to address the Quality Jobs program and Enhanced Enterprise Zones. These are core economic development programs, which must be expanded in order for our state to create jobs and encourage growth."
"The governor was right to veto House Bill 327. Time and again legislators are told by special interest lobbyists that if only their particular industry could be granted an exemption from state taxes that will produce economic growth, but they never discuss how these giveaways hurt Missouri taxpayers. This legislation was packed with special interest projects and excessive spending that would have taken Missouri in the wrong direction. I applaud Governor Blunt for protecting Missouri taxpayers by using his veto pen to stop House Bill 327 from becoming law."
"I was concerned all along that the good in the bill was not enough to out weigh the concerns in other provisions. I know this was not an easy decision but the Governor made the right decision."
"As the Vice Chair of the House Special Committee on Small Business and the sponsor of some underlying components of House Bill 327, I applaud the Governor’s strong and wise leadership in vetoing House Bill 327 in its present bloated form. I greatly appreciate that he has called upon the General Assembly to consider a special session to craft a condensed version of the bill that will strip excess amendments and retain the many strong elements of this bill, such as the Quality Jobs Program, the Small Business Investment Tax Credit, the Small Business and Entrepreneurial Growth Act, the Enhanced Enterprise Zones, and more. It is the strong and consistent leadership like this from Governor Blunt that has turned Missouri around from a billion-dollar budget deficit to a nine-figure surplus and has allowed Missouri’s economy to go from a loss of 50,000 jobs in 2005 to a gain of nearly 100,000 jobs since he was elected governor. I am most hopeful of the special session for which the Governor calls so we can retain the many strong components of 327 and keep Missouri's economy and pro-business momentum moving forward."
"I supported the Governor’s priorities in this bill (Quality Jobs and Enhanced Enterprise Zones), as well as the Land Assemblage provision. It is a shame that these important economic development enhancements had to be lost due to unrelated, costly amendments. I hope the general assembly will be able to enact these three provisions quickly."
"This legislation would have put Cape Girardeau County into a conflict of over $500,000 for county revenue. We cannot afford this amount of reduction from our budget, if it is withheld.
"I agree with Governor Blunt’s decision to veto House Bill 327. There were an awful lot of good things in this bill but when you add up the plusses and the minuses the minuses far outweighed the good."
"I applaud Gov Blunt for giving the General Assembly a second chance to craft sound public policy that continues to facilitate job growth and economic development while practicing responsible stewardship of the people’s money and ensuring Missouri’s healthy and solid financial foundation."
"We support Governor Blunt's decision to veto House Bill 327. Although there were several beneficial provisions in this lengthy bill, several provisions would have been harmful to municipal governments, including unnecessary sales tax exemptions that would have eroded local revenues."
"I support Governor Blunt’s veto of House Bill 327. In my opinion, the bill’s negative ramifications far outweigh its positive characteristics. The uncertain fiscal impact on the state is a cause of great concern, as is the unilateral exemption of certain products and materials from sales and use taxes at the local level. Quality Jobs is an extremely important economic development tool. I urge the General Assembly to pass a clean, stand-alone bill to allow Quality Jobs to be workable and successful."
"Brick and mortar retailers across the state who have to compete with foreign competitors appreciate the governor’s veto of House Bill 327, and by this action keeping the playing field level for Missouri businesses."
"House Bill 327 would have had a dramatic negative impact on funding for highways and bridges in Missouri. By vetoing this bill, Governor Blunt is showing a strong commitment to transportation in our state, which means fewer fatalities on our roadways and greater economic opportunities for our citizens. I know the governor had to make a difficult decision, but it was the right decision. I thank him for his outstanding leadership on this issue and for safeguarding our critical transportation system."
"Governor Blunt’s veto of House Bill 327 is an example of true leadership. While House Bill 327 contains a great number of good economic development tools including some of my own amendments, the final bill missed a very important step – the conference committee. By vetoing 327, the legislature can come back with the good ideas and discard those we cannot afford."
"House Bill 327 gets in the way of keeping Missouri on a pro-growth path."
"It was disappointing when the General Assembly failed to improve on last year’s eminent domain reform, but the fact that they instead created new eminent domain authority is outrageous. House Bill 327 would have been a step in the wrong direction. We are pleased that the Governor had the courage to veto this bill."
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