TO:  MTC Members

FROM:  Dale Amick - MTC Legislative Consultant

MISSOURI TRAVEL COUNCIL LEGISLATIVE REPORT

The governor has signed into law legislation extending the sunset date of the tourism  funding mechanism  from 2010 to 2015.

SB 376 was passed by the legislature earlier this week. The bill also includes a waiver for some schools to make up lost days due to extremely inclement weather that occurred this past winter.

Also passed and sent to the governor is HB 205, which also extends the tourism funding mechanism sunset date to 2015.

Pending in a joint Senate-House conference committee is SB 64, which moves the school start up date to within ten days of Labor Day with exceptions. The bill is in a conference committee to work out differences between the two chambers on other, numerous educational provisions added to the bill by a House committee.

Also still pending in a joint conference committee is the new state budget. Both houses adopted a 21.6-million-dollar budget for the Division of Tourism. The deadline for passing the budget is next Friday.

Embroiled in a dispute between the Senate and House is the omnibus economic development bill, which allows up to 10.5 million dollars in tax credits for film production in Missouri and a state sales tax exemption for aviation fuel used for transoceanic flights.