JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - The Missouri House passed legislation Thursday offering an across-the-board tax cut to corporations, extra incentives to businesses in certain favored fields and a sales tax break to shoppers who buy products made in the United States.
House members voted 98-48 for the wide-ranging bill supporters touted as a means of spurring job creation in a state where unemployment remains around 9 percent. But the bill's ultimate fate remains uncertain, because it differs significantly from a version passed by the Senate last month and from the agenda set for the special legislative session by Gov. Jay Nixon.
The next decision will be the Senate's. It could accept the House bill, which seems unlikely. It could ask for negotiations with the House to come up with a compromise. Or it could declare the differences irreconcilable and simply end the special session. No Senate decision is expected until at least next week.