On Tues. July 6, four new bills concerning public utilities, taxation, and military affairs were signed into law by Governor Mike Parson.
Senate Bill 44 and House Bill 734 both affect public utility interaction with energy sources.
SB 44 Prohibits local governments from banning certain types of energy sources and modifies provisions of retail electric service providers relating to service territories.
The bill also increases the competitive bidding process of external expenditures from 10 to 20 percent for water corporations, and provides an infrastructure replacement mechanism for certain water and sewer projects.
HB 734 specifies how wind farms will be assessed for property tax purposes, and allows gas utility corporations to recover particular costs when they invest in renewable natural gas programs.
This bill will provide new financing mechanisms for electric corporations to retire or abandon certain electric generation facilities and recover particular qualified extraordinary costs.
Senate Bill 5 increases the timespan for the Advanced Industrial Manufacturing zones program. The program establishes the Port Authority AIM Zone Fund consisting of 50% of the state withholding tax from new jobs within the zone after development or redevelopment has begun. The extension has been expanded from August 28, 2023 to August 28, 2030
Senate Bill 258 Creates the Missouri Medal of Honor Recipients Fund, designed to receive donations which will repair and replace memorial signs for Medal of Honor recipients.
The bill also designates additional public remembrance locations throughout southeast Missouri including the Missouri National Guard armory in Joplin as the Sergeant Robert Wayne Crow Jr. Memorial Armory, four additional segments of Missouri highway as part of the Purple Heart Trail, and establishes numerous memorial highways and bridges across the state.
