State

Jefferson City, Mo – The day after Missourians celebrated Independence Day Gov. Jay Nixon signed House Bill 533 earlier this morning, expanding gun rights in the state of Missouri and vetoed House Bill 436, which would've violated several provisions of the U.S. Constitution and criminalized Missourians’ exercise of their constitutionally-protected right of free speech.

House Bill 533 allows a state employee to keep a firearm in his or her vehicle while on property owned or leased by the state, allows a fire chief to carry a concealed firearm, and expresses the General Assembly’s support of responsible gun ownership.

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WENTZVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri automotive industry scored another victory today with General Motors’ plan to invest $133 million in its Wentzville facility, Gov. Jay Nixon announced. GM will add a third stamping press to the assembly and stamping plant, with the potential for creating or retaining 55 local jobs.

The $133 million is the second major investment by General Motors in the Wentzville facility in the past two years. In 2011, the company announced a plan to invest $380 million and create or retain 1,260 new jobs to produce a new mid-size pickup as well as 400 new jobs to support demand for their existing vehicles.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon was joined today by area business and community leaders, including The Civic Council of Greater Kansas City at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Bloch School of Management to discuss his veto of House Bill 253, calling the bill’s $800 million price tag a fiscally irresponsible experiment that would undermine the state’s economic and fiscal health and jeopardize funding for education and vital public services.

“With a price tag of $800 million, this legislation is an ill-conceived, fiscally irresponsible experiment that would hurt our economy and jeopardize funding for vital public services,” Gov. Nixon said. “Writing a bad check and saying you’ll figure out a way to pay for it later might make sense in Washington, DC and some other states, but it’s not how we do things in Missouri.”

The Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, a membership organization of chief executive officers of the largest corporations and professional partnerships in the Kansas City metropolitan area, had urged the Governor to veto the legislation in a May 21 letter.

Provision in House Bill 253 passed by the General Assembly would eliminate long-standing sales tax exemption on prescription medication

Jefferson City, Mo. – House Bill 253, passed by the General Assembly earlier this month, would increase taxes on Missourians who take prescription medication if it becomes law, Gov. Jay Nixon said today.  An initial review has determined that the bill would eliminate the current sales tax exemption on prescription drugs and result in an estimated tax increase of $200 million annually, the Governor said.

“The out-of-pocket cost of prescription drugs, especially for those suffering from cancer, heart disease or other life-threatening conditions, already puts a strain on many Missouri families,” Gov. Nixon said.

JEFFERSON CITY – The flags of the United States and the State of Missouri at all government buildings in Missouri will be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday (May 15) in honor of Missouri’s Peace Officers Memorial Day, so designated by a 1996 state law.

The day commemorates the sacrifices of the federal, state, county and municipal peace officers who have been killed or disabled in the performance of their duties.