How To Reach Us:
St. Louis Front Page
P.O. Box 1354
St. Louis, MO 63188
Voice: 314-771-0200
Fax: 314-771-0300
To submit news, contact:
editor@slfp.com
To advertise, contact:
advertising@slfp.com
|
|
|
ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Sunday, August 26, 2007
|
(L - R) Rep. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City; House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill; and Rep. Rodney Hubbard, D-St. Louis, take a closer look at language contained in House Bill 1.
|
Missouri House Gives Approval to Economic Development Package
ST. LOUIS, MO (SLFP.com), August 26, 2007 - On Thursday, the Missouri House of Representatives concluded their initial approval of two legislative priorities called for by Governor Blunt during a special session of the general assembly.
The economic development package, known as HB 1, contained several provisions aimed at increasing job creation in Missouri. The primary provision in HB 1 was an expansion of an already successful Quality Jobs Program that has attracted multiple employers and meant thousands of high paying jobs to the state. Supporters of the bill note the innovative nature of the program, where employers are required not only to pay above average wages but also provide 50% of employees' health insurance costs, as reasons the program has become so popular.
Another provision in the bill however was the topic of a great deal of debate. This provision would provide tax credits for developers to assemble land parcels in North St. Louis City. Despite large portions of the area currently sitting uninhabited and other structures in the area being condemned, critics were hesitant to support the measure because they said no clear development plans existed.
Even with a small group of opponents the measure received overwhelming bipartisan support passing 129-20. The economic development bill will now pass to the Senate where committee work is expected to start early next week.
The Missouri House gave approval to a bond authorization plan that would pave the way for an inventive program aimed at repairing or replacing more than 800 of the worst bridges in the state.
House Bill 2 fixes an area of Missouri law that has prevented the Missouri Department of Transportation from awarding a single bid to repair or replace the damaged bridges. Current law would require the contractor with the winning bid to obtain billion-dollar performance bonds lasting for 30 years - something that does not exist. With passage of House Bill 2 the bonding restriction would be reduced and the Missouri Department of Transportation could proceed with its program which has been entitled the Safe and Sound Bridge Improvement Program.
The Safe and Sound Program has the goal of repairing or replacing 802 bridges by 2012. The project will be awarded to one contractor who will have until that date to renovate all of the damaged bridges. In addition the contractor selected will be responsible for maintaining the bridges in good condition for an additional 25 years.
The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Blunt Announces $5.1 Million in Economic Development Job Training Funds to Missouri Businesses
JEFFESON CITY, (SLFP.com), August 26, 2007 - Gov. Matt Blunt has announced the approval of $5.1 million in state assistance to help 179 companies in the state offset costs associated with training and upgrading the skills of more than 21,000 Missouri workers. The funding was approved by the Missouri Department of Economic Development and its Division of Workforce Development.
"We are continuing to enact pro-jobs, pro-growth initiatives that have helped Missourians create nearly 85,000 new jobs since January 2005," Blunt said. "The Customized Training Program is a pro-growth approach to improving the education and skill levels of our workforce in Missouri. Missouri already has a strong, well-educated workforce and this investment in the future will help enhance productivity and allow us to be more competitive in the global economy."
Funds through the Customized Training Program will be used to facilitate skill training for 21,704 new and current employees at 179 Missouri companies. The funds are the latest round of training grants to be released in the state's new fiscal year that began July 1. Companies will use the funds to pay for training programs customized to their potential industry and local needs.
Training funds were appropriated by the General Assembly to the Missouri Job Development Fund and are administered through the state's Customized Training Program. The Missouri Job Development Fund provides assistance to new or expanding businesses in their efforts to train employees in newly created jobs and to retrain or upgrade skills of existing employees. The purpose of the program is to increase and improve the quality of the state's workforce through training initiatives so that Missouri companies can be more competitive.
The program is offered through the Department of Economic Development's Division of Workforce Development in cooperation with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Community colleges and area career schools will administer the program locally.
|
STL-News is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group as a special feature of the Saint Louis Front Page for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com
All rights reserved world wide
© 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group .
|
|
Archived St. Louis News:
|
|
