Mazzie Boyd- Capitol Report March 2, 2023
To the Great Constituents of District 2,
Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.
-Mark Twain
Here are some of the highlights from this week:
The Missouri house approved our legislation on Limiting Foreign Ownership of Farmland (HBs 903, 465, 430 & 499). This was a great step in the right direction on continuing to limit the amount of foreign land ownership in the state of Missouri. I was proud to work with my colleagues on getting this out of the house and now will head over to the senate. The bill approved by the House would limit foreign ownership of Missouri farmland to 0.5%, from the current restriction in statute of 1%. The legislation would require foreign entities to report sales, acquisitions, or transfers of land to the Missouri Attorney General and Secretary of State. It would also require a report at sale or transfer of land, every five years thereafter, or if the use of the land changes. The bill also would prohibit a foreign business from certain countries from purchasing any land in the state. Nations on the “Restrictive Country” list in the bill are defined as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela.
Missourians struggling with higher property tax rates on their vehicles may have some relief in sight under a legislative proposal approved by the Missouri House of Representatives. House members approved HB 713 by a vote of 150-0 and sent the legislation to the Senate for consideration. This would change current state law that requires assessors to determine vehicle values by using the National Automobile Dealers’ Association Official Used Car Guide. The bill would repeal that requirement and instead have assessors use the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for all vehicles for the original value of all motor vehicle assessment valuations. The bill establishes a 15-year depreciation schedule that would be applied to the MSRP to develop the annual and historical valuation guide for all motor vehicles. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
The Missouri House has advanced legislation to prohibit government entities from infringing on the rights of property owners. HB 730 would simply prohibit any county, municipality, or political subdivision from imposing or enforcing a moratorium on eviction proceedings unless specifically authorized by state law. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Another bill that was sent over to the senate for consideration is, HB 154 provides a sales tax exemption for sales of class III medical devices that use electric fields for the purposes of treatment of cancer, including components and repair parts and disposable or single patient use supplies required for the use of such supplies. Additionally, current law provides a sales tax exemption for the sales or rental of manual and powered wheelchairs, including parts. The bill applies the exemption to accessories for such wheelchairs.
It’s a pleasure to serve and as always if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to my office at (573) 751-4285 or email me at [email protected].
All my best,
Mazzie Boyd, State Representative for District 2
