Denali is Dealt a Setback by Cole County Judge-Representative Ed Lewis's Capitol Report

I learned of some good news recently, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker declined to issue a Temporary Restraining Order against the Fertilizer Control Board, FCB, on December 18th. If the TRO had been issued Denali could have resumed business as usual under a Fertilizer Control Board fertilizer exemption and Denali would again be able to proceed essentially unregulated in the State of Missouri. The final disposition of this case will come before the Judge on January 16th in Cole County and with the ruling here not to issue a TRO it seems the Judge may be leaning toward the FCB and against the wishes of Denali. Again, we must wait and see.

This makes our legislative proposals that have been filed and will be filed before January 3rd even more important. I have drafted and will have filed 2 bills along with Representative Dirk Deaton (R) McDonald County and Senator Jill Carter (R) from Southwest MO, to make sure Denali is regulated if they are going to do business in Missouri.

Bill Prefiling for the 2023 Legislative Session Underway

The Missouri General Assembly is gearing up for the start of the 2024 legislative session, with House members beginning to reveal their plans and goals for the upcoming year. This year, members filed 343 bills on the opening day of prefiling, just 29 short of the House’s opening day record.

For the 2024 session, legislators will file bills addressing a wide variety of topics, with the objective being to enhance the state's policies, ensuring they better serve the needs of all residents.

To date, Missouri’s 163 House members have filed more than 500 bills, combining with the more than 500 bills filed by the Senate. The legislative session officially begins Wednesday, January 3, 2024, but members have the ability to introduce bills until March 1st.

To keep informed on the bills that are prefiled in the House, please visit the official website of the Missouri House of Representatives at www.house.mo.gov and click on the “Prefiled Bills” link.

Budget Leaders Agree to Consensus Revenue Estimate as Work Begins on State Budget

Budget leaders from the House and Senate have reached an agreement with the governor’s office for projected revenue growth in the coming fiscal year. Known as the Consensus Revenue Estimate (CRE), the figure is used by the governor and legislative leaders to build and balance the state operating budget.

The key figure in the CRE is the projected general revenue collections. Net general revenue collections in FY25 are expected to be $13.16 billion. This represents a 0.2 percent net general revenue growth over the revised CRE for FY24.

The revised estimate for the current fiscal year (FY24) assumes $13.14 billion in net general revenue collections, which represents a 0.7 percent decline compared to FY23.

These past few weeks, some members of the House have been in Jefferson City, as work on the budget for the upcoming session is already underway. Members of the budget committee have been sitting through hearings with various state departments to review their budget items and get a jump start on the process before session convenes on January 3.

“This month, the Missouri House is getting an early start in the appropriations process heading into next year’s legislative session. This will allow committee members to obtain a deeper understanding of the issues facing our state and make better-informed decisions on behalf of Missouri taxpayers,” the House Budget Chairman said.

Legislators will receive a detailed budget proposal from Governor Mike Parson during his final State of the State address on January 24th.