Jeff Smith for Missouri

Dear Friends,

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And sometimes, you lose really, really badly. This is a story of a bad loss (on campaign finance legislation), a great win (on early childhood education), and the roller coaster that is life in the Missouri Senate.

When I last wrote, I told you about my efforts to transform the way political campaigns are run in Missouri. I filed Senate Bill 1071, which creates a system for voluntary public financing of Missouri campaigns, thereby eroding the role of special interests.

Jefferson City — State Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, today testified before the Senate Commerce, Energy and the Environment Committee in support of Senate Bill 1117, dubbed the “green building” bill. Smith notes his legislation contains many of the environmentally-friendly ideas developed by the Missouri Energy Task Force and mentioned by the governor during his State of the State address in January; Committee Chairman Kevin Engler (R-Farmington) has expressed support for the ideas within the bill.

Jefferson City – The Senate Ways & Means Committee heard testimony this week and is considering a proposal forwarded by state Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, which would offer a state earned income tax credit to benefit lower-income Missourians by reducing their tax liability and, in some cases, providing refunds to help them keep more money in their pockets to meet everyday expenses.

The bill would provide support to full-time workers by providing a refundable state earned income tax credit (EITC), equal to five percent of a qualifying allowable federal EITC, and double the amount every two years until it reaches a cap of 20 percent in 2013.