News from the South - Missouri News Feed
Missouri Senate committee moves quickly on capital gains tax cut
Missouri Senate committee moves quickly on capital gains tax cut
by Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent
February 25, 2025
The first bill passed by the Missouri House that is headed to the Senate floor for debate would exempt long-term capital gains from the state income tax.
On a 3-2 party-line vote, the Senate General Laws committee approved the bill to create the new tax deduction. The bill passed the House on Feb. 13, also on a party-line vote, with Republicans supporting the measure and Democrats opposed.
If passed into law, the proposal sponsored by House Speaker Pro Tem Chad Perkins, a Republican from Bowling Green, would reduce state revenue by about $335 million in the year starting July 1 and permanently reduce revenue by about $234 million per year.
The committee took quick action, Chairman Curtis Trent of Springfield said, because it had already voted to approve identical legislation filed in the Senate. That bill is on the Senate calendar awaiting debate.
“This has been a priority in both chambers, and there’s no reason to delay, you know, passage of it through the process,” Trent said after the vote.
The bill would allow Missourians to deduct any income reported on their federal returns as long-term capital gains from the income subject to the state income tax.
Federal law taxes long-term capital gains, defined as assets held for more than one year, at lower rates than income from wages. Current Missouri law does not make a distinction between the two sources of income.
State Rep. George Hruza, a Republican from St. Louis County, said during Tuesday’s hearing that eliminating the state taxes on capital gains will boost the Missouri economy by encouraging investment, both from the sale of existing assets and from newcomers to the state.
“This frees up capital because right now, people don’t sell their property because of capital gains tax,” Hruza said.
While it may become the first tax-cut bill debated in both chambers, it is by no means the largest being considered. Last week, the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee approved a pair of bills that would, if approved by voters, eliminate the state income tax in 2027.
The debate on taxes comes as Missouri is in a period of sluggish revenue growth. Through Monday, general revenue receipts are down nearly 2% from the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Revenue increased 1.5% in the most recent fiscal year and it is projected to grow by 1.6% in the coming fiscal year.
The revenue reduction from a cut in the capital gains tax would be greater than the anticipated growth in the coming fiscal year.
Eliminating the tax on capital gains could cost more than the estimate and would mainly benefit wealthy taxpayers, Brian Colby, vice president of the Missouri Budget Project told the committee.
“We just want to go on the record with heartburn about the fiscal note,” Colby said, “and the concern about the distribution of the tax break that skews way up higher in the income scale.”
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Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.
The post Missouri Senate committee moves quickly on capital gains tax cut appeared first on missouriindependent.com
News from the South - Missouri News Feed
Ex-Manchester police captain sues city, claims he was forced to resign
SUMMARY: Craig Smith, former captain and deputy chief of the Manchester Police Department, filed a lawsuit claiming he was coerced into resigning in July 2024 without due process amid a city investigation. Smith alleges city officials, including the mayor and city manager, pressured him by threatening criminal charges despite the investigation focusing on minor, non-criminal leadership issues. He claims he was denied a chance to defend himself and that officials damaged his reputation by telling prospective employers he resigned “under investigation.” Smith seeks compensation for lost wages, emotional distress, and harm to his career. The city plans to defend the lawsuit.
The post Ex-Manchester police captain sues city, claims he was forced to resign appeared first on fox2now.com
News from the South - Missouri News Feed
Kathy Kaiser returns with some film reviews of some new releases
SUMMARY: Kathy Kaiser reviews new releases, starting with tonight’s Cardinals vs. Nationals game, hoping for a strong batting performance in hot weather. She discusses the new Superman film, directed by James Gunn from St. Louis, praising David Corenswet’s portrayal though missing more Clark Kent focus. The film introduces many characters for the evolving DC Universe, earning 4 out of 5 popcorn. Kathy also highlights a Nat Geo documentary on Steven Spielberg’s filmmaking challenges, rating it 5 out of 5. The documentary, co-produced by Amblin, offers a compelling behind-the-scenes look and streams on Disney Plus and Hulu. More reviews to come.
ST. LOUIS – Looking for a new movie to watch? Kathy Kaiser shares her thoughts on new releases such as Superman, The Better Sister, and Jaws @ 50, an anniversary celebration and re-release of Jaws (1975).
News from the South - Missouri News Feed
Missouri Education Commissioner unwraps vision for state education department
by Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent
July 10, 2025
Missouri should revisit the way it supports “chronically low-performing schools” over the coming year, state Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger said as she unveiled her priorities in a State Board of Education meeting Wednesday.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s current approach is “cookie cutter,” she said, lacking individual supports customized to struggling schools.
“When you have a school district in crisis, there’s not a real plan on how to address that,” Eslinger said. “So we need to have a more comprehensive plan to address that.”
Board member Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge, of Pasadena Hills, underlined the importance of careful intervention.
Westbrooks-Hodge spoke about a conversation she had with a school superintendent who worked in an Illinois district east of St. Louis when it lost accreditation.
“She described an intense, hands-on approach with the state of Illinois walking hand in hand,” Westbrooks-Hodge said. “She asked why that approach wasn’t done with underperforming school districts in Missouri.”
There are also challenges coming from the federal level with “disruption” in the U.S. Department of Education, Eslinger said. The department is “struggling to draw down federal dollars more consistently.”
She suggested “a shift in the way we manage our federal programs,” such as consolidating programs in a centralized application.
The department should also improve its data handling, she said, adding that DESE “needs to be much better and much more efficient in its data system.”
“I don’t know how many times I sat on the Senate floor, and I didn’t have the ability to rebut somebody’s idea of what was happening in public education because we don’t have the data,” Eslinger said.
The department also needs to improve its website and increase connectivity with the public.
There will be noticeable changes in the communications department, she said. Currently, the department is looking for a new director of communications.
“We have been responsive to people who have questions, but we haven’t talked to the state as a whole,” she said.
She has asked the state board to conduct annual evaluations of the commissioner, which the board wasn’t doing when she took office last year.
The board is meeting Wednesday and Thursday as part of a board retreat to reorient members to the expectations and responsibilities of the board. Half of the board are new appointees, and the department has a number of high-ranking employees in new positions.
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Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.
The post Missouri Education Commissioner unwraps vision for state education department appeared first on missouriindependent.com
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article presents a straightforward report on Missouri’s Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger’s priorities and comments regarding public education challenges without adopting a partisan tone. It focuses on administrative improvements, data management, and tailored support for low-performing schools, avoiding ideological framing or partisan language. The coverage reflects neutral, fact-based reporting, emphasizing practical issues within the education system rather than aligning with a specific political agenda. The inclusion of multiple viewpoints and detailed explanations supports a balanced presentation.
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