TO:  MTC Members

FROM:  Gary Figgins - Legislative Chair, Missouri Travel Council

With the start of the 2005 legislative session this week, leaders in the House and Senate have indicated they will immediately tackle one of the toughest issues they will face this year...education.  A couple of Republican leaders have indicated to Missouri Travel Council lobbyist Dale Amick that they plan to get the tough issues behind them before moving on to other legislative matters.  Some people are not too optimistic that the General Assembly will make much headway in its efforts to rewrite the education funding formula or that legislators will succeed in clearing education issues before moving on to other matters.  Regardless, you can expect education to be THE buzzword of the 2005 session.

The Missouri Division of Tourism was funded at 100 percent for the first time in four years during the last legislative session, however key senators who made the funding increase possible will not return to the General Assembly this year.  Last year's budget plan centered around proportionately increasing revenue for each dollar increase in tourism spending, meaning that cuts in expenditures would have required cuts in revenue.  While the two legislators who developed the plan will not return this year, other legislators were aware of the funding effort and have pledged to protect tourism funding.  Missouri Travel Council has already spoken with leaders in the House and Senate, as well as Governor-elect Matt Blunt and Lt. Governor-elect Peter Kinder, to make certain they understood how tourism funding was increased last year. 

There have been no indications that things will change this year, however with attention focused on education funding and re-allocated highway tax dollars, we should not become relaxed or over-confident. Last year's passage of a constitutional amendment that will earmark highway tax revenue for highway-related projects will mean that money normally diverted to the state's general fund will have to be replaced. We should remember that anything is possible in the coming year.

Missouri tourism partners will be watching education efforts for another reason this session, as well.  During last year's Governor's Conference on Tourism, a uniform school start-up date was identified as a being a priority concern this year.  In the final days of the 2003 legislative session, school start-up language (what many in the tourism industry referred to as "toothless") was completely dropped from that year's education bill.  For the past two years, Missouri has had no uniform school start-up date.  This year, while looking at some other innovative ways to approach the uniform start-up date, tourism partners will also watch for an opportunity to include the item in any possible education funding overhaul.

The annual Capitol Day for Tourism has been set for February 23-24.  We will meet at a location to be announced in the early afternoon of Feb. 23 for a legislative briefing and then visit with legislators through the remainder of the afternoon, discussing legislative issues that will be outlined during the briefing.  We will also invite them and staff members to our annual pancake breakfast the following morning from 7:30-9:30 on the third floor rotunda of the Capitol.  With House and Senate committee assignments uncertain at this time, we may or may not be able to coordinate the breakfast with the Division's annual report to the Joint Committee on Tourism.  We may not know about the annual report until much closer to the event.  Watch the mail and e-mail for more details and announcements.

As always, you can make Missouri Travel Council aware of any travel or tourism legislative issues by e-mailing me at "gfiggins@showmemissouri.net".

Happy New Year!

Gary Figgins
Legislative Chair
Missouri Travel Council