To the Great Constituents of District 2,
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
-Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor
Another busy week, the Missouri House sent over 27 bills to the Senate. I presented in the Emerging Issues committee on HB 712: Anti Red Flag Gun Seizure Act Bill, which bans red flag laws by being implemented by Missouri law enforcement and bans Missouri from receiving federal dollars to enforce red flag laws. A red flag law is any gun control law, order, or measure that directs the temporary or permanent seizure of any firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition of an individual without the adjudication of a contested court case. At its core red flag laws have no due process and are used maliciously against law abiding gun owners.
The Missouri House approved a historic tax cut relief bill. Under HBs 816 & 660 the state’s top personal income tax rate of 4.95% would drop to 4.5% on January 1 of next year. The bill preserves triggers put into place when the General Assembly approved a tax relief package last year. If revenues grow at a healthy rate and all triggers are met, the top tax rate would be reduced to 4.05%. The bill also includes a reduction for the corporate income tax that currently stands at 4%. The bill would drop the rate to 2% beginning January 1, 2024. The plan includes additional triggers that could eventually phase out the corporate income tax entirely if state revenues grow at a robust rate. The best part of this bill is the elimination of income tax on social security benefits. This was something I have received a lot of input on and I was proud to support this! The bill now heads on to the Senate.
Members of the Missouri House gave bipartisan support to a legislative proposal that would legalize sports wagering in the state. Revenue generated by the tax would go to the state’s education fund. The bill also requires the state to establish treatment and recovery programs for compulsive gambling.
House members this week approved legislation aimed at improving the state’s efforts to prevent suicide among its veteran population. Representatives voted 156-0 for HB 132, which directs the Missouri Veterans Commission to work with the Department of Mental Health to come up with recommendations on how Missouri can prevent veteran suicide.
HBs 919 & 1081 establishes “The Anti-Surveillance and Foreign Intervention Act” which prohibits any elected or appointed member or employee of any state entity from using or downloading any social media application that is owned by the Chinese Government or a company that shares user data with the Chinese government on any state-owned electronic device.
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