by John Haughey, The Center Square | July 09, 2021 05:00 PM Print this article
Missouri lawmakers agreed to raise the state’s gas tax for the first time in 25 years during their 2021 session, but Gov. Mike Parson has not signed the bill amid concerns about its constitutionality under the state’s Hancock Amendment.
The 1980 Hancock Amendment requires Missouri to refund money to income tax payers when a new tax or fee exceeds a percentage of total state revenues unless approved by voters in a statewide referendum.
Named after the late Taxpayer Survival Association founder and four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Mel Hancock, under amendment, lawmakers set that percentage. During fiscal year 2022 (FY22) budget deliberations, it was 1%, about $111 million.
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Missouri lawmakers toss paper into the air to commemorate the end of the 2021 legislative session.
The last day of the Missouri General Assembly’s legislative session ended with a thud when the Senate adjourned without approving a must-pass bill that helps fund the state’s Medicaid system.
It was an anticlimatic end to a legislative session that failed to fund voter-approved Medicaid expansion but featured passage of long-sought legislation that could have a big impact on the state’s roads, police, children and opioid abuse issues.
When lawmakers returned to session on Friday morning, the biggest unfinished item was the passage of the Federal Reimbursement Allowance a tax on medical providers like hospitals that helps pay for the state’s Medicaid program. Typically, the so-called FRA passes without much opposition. But some senators wanted to attach items to it that would bar Medicaid from paying for certain contraceptives and prevent
Missouri Republicans divided over gas tax increase
Under the bill, the gas tax would increase 2.5 cents a year until the tax hits 29.5 cents per gallon in 2025. Drivers could get a refund if they save their receipts Author: Summer Ballentine (Associated Press) Published: 10:47 PM CDT May 11, 2021 Updated: 10:47 PM CDT May 11, 2021
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Debate over whether to raise Missouri s gas tax to pay for roads and bridges divided House Republicans Tuesday as lawmakers near their Friday deadline to pass bills.
At issue is a contentious proposal that would raise the state s 17-cent gas tax for the first time in decades.
Under the bill, the gas tax would increase 2.5 cents a year until the tax hits 29.5 cents per gallon in 2025. Drivers could get a refund if they save their gas receipts.
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Missouri Legislature votes to pump up the state’s gas tax
The Missouri Legislature has passed a proposal that would boost the state’s gas and diesel tax for the first time in about 25 years.
Photo by Alisa Nelson
The state House of Representatives voted Tuesday night 104-52 in favor of increasing the user fee by 12.5 total cents over five years. The plan would also give most drivers the choice to hold onto their receipts and turn them in to apply for a rebate if they don’t want to pay for the amount of the increase.