“….The choice facing members of the legislature has never been clearer: they can support Senate Bill 509 or they can support public schools, but they cannot do both….”

Today, from Governor Jay Nixon (D):

Gov. Nixon issues statement on data showing the impact of Senate Bill 509 on funding for local public schools

April 17, 2014

Senate Bill 509 would drain $620 million annually from public education and other priorities.

Jefferson City, MO

Gov. Jay Nixon today issued the following statement regarding data requested by the Missouri School Boards Association showing the impact Senate Bill 509 would have on local school districts across the state.

“These new numbers show that if the legislature succeeds in punching a $620 million hole in our state budget with this unaffordable giveaway to special interests, it’s our students and schools who will pay the price,” Gov. Nixon said. “Senate Bill 509 would drain hundreds of millions of dollars annually out of our K-12 schools — weakening our economy, undermining our stable business climate, and putting full funding of the foundation formula out of reach. Missourians want good schools and good jobs, not another dangerous scheme to defund our K-12 classrooms.”

According to the fiscal estimate produced by the legislature, Senate Bill 509 would reduce state revenues by more than $620 million annually when fully implemented.  K-12 education is heavily dependent on general revenue, so public schools are affected disproportionately by measures that reduce the general revenue budget, such as Senate Bill 509.

“Missouri already has the sixth lowest taxes in the nation and even the conservative Tax Foundation has slammed these ill-conceived gimmicks for failing to create jobs or generate economic growth,” Gov. Nixon said. “For our state to succeed in today’s high-tech global economy, we need to our students to be prepared to compete worldwide. But instead of investing in public education, this legislature has chosen to funnel money away from our classrooms and into the pockets of lawyers and lobbyists who need it the least.  The choice facing members of the legislature has never been clearer: they can support Senate Bill 509 or they can support public schools, but they cannot do both.”

Senate Bill 509 includes a 25 percent tax deduction for so-called “business-income.”  This type of income is often reported by wealthier individuals, such as lawyers and lobbyists, with LLCs or corporate partnerships.  In February, the right-leaning Tax Foundation wrote that “special carve-outs like this simply encourage individuals to structure themselves as pass-through entities for tax reasons, even if there is no economic or business reason for doing so.”

Instead of the unaffordable approach taken by Senate Bill 509, Gov. Nixon has laid out a proposal to fully fund the K-12 foundation formula and give working families a responsible tax cut by reining in wasteful tax credit expenditures.

Over the coming days, the Governor said his administration would continue to review the bill to identify any additional unintended consequences or drafting errors.

A link to the breakdown of district funding levels if Senate Bill 509 becomes law is available here.  The data was generated using the same methodology used by education groups in assessing the impact of House Bill 253 last year.

How the “Friends of K-12 and Higher Education” voted [pdf] in the House:

JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE

Second Regular Session, 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-THIRD DAY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014

[….]

On motion of Representative Koenig, SS#3 SCS SBs 509 & 496 was truly agreed to and

finally passed by the following vote:

AYES: 104

Allen Anderson Austin Bahr Barnes

Bernskoetter Brattin Brown Burlison Cierpiot

Conway 104 Cookson Cornejo Cox Crawford

Cross Curtman Davis Diehl Dohrman

Dugger Elmer Fitzpatrick Fitzwater Flanigan

Fraker Franklin Frederick Funderburk Gannon

Gatschenberger Gosen Grisamore Guernsey Haahr

Haefner Hampton Hansen Hicks Higdon

Hinson Hoskins Hough Houghton Hurst

Johnson Jones 50 Justus Keeney Kelley 127

Koenig Kolkmeyer Korman Lair Lant

Lauer Leara Lichtenegger Love Lynch

Marshall McCaherty McGaugh Messenger Miller

Molendorp Moon Morris Muntzel Neely

Neth Parkinson Pfautsch Phillips Pike

Pogue Redmon Rehder Remole Rhoads

Richardson Riddle Roorda Ross Rowden

Rowland Scharnhorst Schatz Schieber Shull

Shumake Solon Sommer Stream Swan

Thomson Torpey Walker White Wieland

Wilson Wood Zerr Mr. Speaker

NOES: 048

Anders Black Burns Butler Carpenter

Colona Conway 10 Curtis Dunn Ellington

English Englund Frame Gardner Harris

Hubbard Hummel Kelly 45 Kirkton Kratky

May Mayfield McCann Beatty McDonald McKenna

McManus McNeil Meredith Mims Mitten

Montecillo Morgan Newman Nichols Norr

Otto Pace Peters Pierson Rizzo

Runions Schieffer Schupp Smith Swearingen

Walton Gray Webber Wright

PRESENT: 000

ABSENT WITH LEAVE: 008

Berry Ellinger Engler Entlicher Hodges

LaFaver Reiboldt Spencer

VACANCIES: 003

Speaker Jones declared the bill passed.

[….]

104 members of the House voted to screw education. And they know it.

Previously:

New Missouri Rule: if the governor governs right of center you can’t call him a “liberal” (July 1, 2013)

Bill signing Kabuki (July 12, 2013)

Rep. Chris Kelly (D): HB 253 – “I’d like to know what your opinion is.” (July 19, 2013)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r): probably not gonna sustain the Governor’s veto of HB 253 (August 19, 2013)

Sec. of State Jason Kander (D) to Texas Gov. Rick Perry (r): You forgot about that Medicaid thing? (August 23, 2013)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) to UCM on HB 253: I don’t care, I’d rather be the new Speaker Pro Tem (August 24, 2013)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r): your constituents know what you’re doing to them (August 26, 2013)

HB 253: Because those dissolute leeches at the public trough should shut up, that’s why! (August 28, 2013)

Missouri Democratic Party on HB 253: Yes, yes, let’s talk about Texas Gov. Rick Perry (r)…. (August 28, 2013)

AG Chris Koster (D) to Speaker Jones (r) on HB 253: you all certainly made a mess of things… (August 29, 2013)

Speaker Tim Jones (r) and HB 253: hone your legal analytical skills litigating birth certificates (August 30, 2013)

HB 253: any way you slice it (September 11, 2013)

HB 253: Watch out – It’ll be baaaaaaaaaack (September 11, 2013)