Senate Joint Committee on Rural Economic Development
Key Moments
Stephen Webber — Commented that the airport is in Missouri and then yielded to the next speaker.
Stephen Webber — Referenced as the sponsor's colleague whose area has also benefited from the tax credit.
Chris Brown — Representative from Missouri House District 16, Kansas City; presents House Bill 3095.
Mike Brown — Mike Brown, president of Burns McDonald International, testified in support of the business facility credit. He described the company’s long history, national size, and Missouri presence, then explained that the tax credit and stable relationship with the state have supported the company’s growth since 2009. He said the company expects continued expansion, including roughly 500 new Kansas City jobs, and emphasized that the company is currently full, needs time to plan a new campus, and views the bill as a simple extension that provides stability for future business decisions.
Ron Coker — Senior vice president at Burns and Mack, describing the company’s South Kansas City location and campus layout.
Matthew Smith — Testified on behalf of Associated Industries of Missouri in support of the bill.
Matthew Smith — Matthew Smith, with Associated Industries of Missouri, testifies in support of the bill and says the credit has paid for itself.
Matthew Smith — Matthew Smith of Associated Industries of Missouri states opposition to the bill, mainly due to the cable exclusion.
Shannon Cooper — Testified for the Greater Kansas Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City in support of the legislation.
Shannon Cooper — Testified in support of the legislation on behalf of Kansas City-area organizations and said it benefits the area economically.
George Haruza — Introduced a bill to extend the sunset on a sales tax exemption for jet fuel tied to Lambert Airport redevelopment.
Jorgon Schleymeyer — Introduced as testifying in favor on behalf of Greater St. Louis, Inc.
Greater St. Louis, Inc. representative — Testified in favor of the bill and described it as a reasonable goodwill gesture supporting airport redevelopment.
Colin Wellen Camp — Introduced himself as representing the 105th District, St. Charles City, and said he was joined by Representative Jeff Renetti.
Kelly Hyatt — Kelly Hyatt, head of the St. Louis Film Office at Explore St. Louis, testified about her 30-plus years in film and television and argued that Missouri’s film tax incentive has real economic and workforce benefits. She described how the incentive helped her personally and has supported local families, entrepreneurs, and service businesses such as equipment rental companies, makeup artists, and caterers. She also noted that larger markets use permitting systems to better track production activity, while Missouri lacks that infrastructure, making impact measurement difficult. Hyatt emphasized that film and television production is a trade that includes many skilled occupations, can attract and retain young people and college students, and helps keep creative talent in Missouri before closing by thanking the committee.
Cole Payne — Film producer from Russellville, Missouri, currently living in the Lake of the Ozarks, testifying in support of the bills.
Chance Heppla — Chance Heppla testifies on behalf of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry in support of the legislation.
Braden Pemberton — Braden Pemberton speaks on behalf of the City of Independence in support of the bills.
Kina Eiman — Kina Eiman testifies on behalf of Missouri Citizens for the Arts in support of the bills.
Laura Holloway — Laura Holloway, Executive Director of the Missouri Municipal League, testifies in support of the bills.
Will Mars — Will Mars testifies on behalf of the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce in support of the bill.
Andrea Sporset-Clund — Andrea Sporset-Clund, Director of the Missouri Film Office, explained Missouri film incentive requirements and related workforce provisions. She described how productions must employ at least two registered apprentices and/or Missouri veterans, noted her long experience working on film incentives since 2005, and discussed creating the Missouri Story scriptwriting fellowship after the state lost its incentive in order to stay relevant and continue encouraging production in Missouri.
Tom Carr — Name appears in the questioning, likely as a mis-transcription or reference during the exchange.
Andrew — The question appears to be directed to Andrew, likely the witness from the Missouri Film Office.
SB820 — Senate Bill 820 is referenced as the prior 2022 bill that contained the sunset language being discussed.
Jay Hardenbrook — Jay Hardenbrook, advocacy director for AARP Missouri, testifies in support of reliable broadband infrastructure. He explains that speed is especially important for AARP members because many rely on the internet for health care, and he says that, ideally, service should come from actual in-the-ground infrastructure rather than satellites.
Mike Loda Wigan — Speaking on behalf of MCTA, he begins opposition testimony and notes the association's name includes Internet and Television.
Chance Hevel — Chance Hevel of the Chamber of Commerce testifies in opposition while praising Representative Riggs's prior broadband work.
BJ Tanksley — BJ Tanksley, Director of the Office of Broadband, thanked Representative Riggs for his advocacy and support, then explained why extending the bill’s sunset may be necessary because the BEAD program and broader broadband deployment timeline are taking longer than expected. He noted that even after BEAD, some locations may still remain unserved due to eligibility issues or defaults in other programs, estimated that about 8,000 locations may still need service, and said some of those will be reached indirectly through existing projects. He concluded by urging the committee to consider the remaining unserved locations and the legislation’s overall impact.
Kurtis Gregory — Asked for numbers comparing the tax credit to the investment and its benefit to Missouri.
Kurtis Gregory — Asked a question about how many companies would benefit from the bill.
Kurtis Gregory — Asked how many companies would benefit from the legislation.
Kurtis Gregory — Representative Riggs is referenced earlier in the HB 2886 discussion, first in response to a question and then as the bill’s sponsor. He then opens testimony on the bill with light remarks, identifies himself as representing the Fifth District, and explains why he filed the legislation.
Adam Schnelting — A roll call vote is underway; the transcript likely contains a garbled member name in the roll call.
Adam Schnelting — Representative Johnson was recognized to inquire of the bill sponsor and asked whether the bill merely extends the effective date without making any other changes.
Adam Schnelting — Not named directly, but the speaker references 'my colleague' and the committee member Representative Wilson responds; no direct ID match in this section.
Barbara Washington — A roll call vote is underway; the transcript likely contains a garbled member name in the roll call.
Barbara Washington — Representative Brown is identified as the sponsor of House Bill 3095, but the transcript says 'Representative Brown' rather than a full name; this is likely a different Brown and not one of the expected members.
Barbara Washington — Asked how many times the credit has been renewed.
Barbara Washington — Closed the questioning and thanked the witness for testimony.
Barbara Washington — Addressed as Madam Chair while moving to the next witness and asking for opposition/support.
Stephen Webber — A roll call vote is underway; the transcript likely contains a garbled member name in the roll call.
Stephen Webber — Representative Wilson followed up on the bill’s tax credit provisions, asking whether the credit would only apply if the company creates new jobs rather than relocating existing ones, and whether the company is expected to increase its workforce by about 10%.
Stephen Webber — The chair briefly addressed Representative Wilson and then made a light, joking exchange with a member whose name appears inconsistently transcribed as Representative O'Mo/Representative Omodo. The interaction was short and conversational, with no substantive topic change.
Rusty Black — Asked about film offices in Missouri and the peripheral economic benefits of the incentive, including catering.
Rusty Black — Representative Riggs asks whether a Harry Truman biopic was filmed in Independence and references Mark Twain/Tom Sawyer filming locations.
Kurtis Gregory — A roll call vote is underway; the transcript likely contains a garbled member name in the roll call.
Kurtis Gregory — Asked whether the tax credit has a cap or dollar limit.
Rusty Black — A roll call vote is underway; the transcript likely contains a garbled member name in the roll call.
Rusty Black — Asked a question after the witnesses concluded their remarks.