Greetings from the fourth floor of the Capitol. It has been a busy two weeks since I last communicated with you, and one where I have learned a great deal and I am continuing to learn each day. Representing you in the 60th District is something I take very seriously, and have had the opportunity to speak with many of you by phone or in person, and I sincerely enjoy those conversations.
During the campaign, I spoke with many of you who were concerned about the Missouri Department of Corrections, and I want to share with you an experience I had last Friday. As most of you know, I am a veteran, and veterans hold a special place in my heart. While talking to Matt Sturm, the deputy director of Corrections, he told me of a program in Corrections that helped incarcerated veterans. It’s called the Missouri Veterans Project. It began as a pilot program in Moberly in August 2017 to help address PTSD, substance abuse and anger management. This program is now available in three of Missouri’s prisons.
The Missouri Department of Corrections houses more than 1,860 offenders who self-identify as U.S. military veterans. For the 133 self-identified veterans in the Moberly Correctional Center (MCC), the department found an opportunity to address the special needs and challenges that often are a factor for the veteran population as a whole.
There are currently more than 60 veterans in 4-C and their environment is highly structured — the inmates have a daily regimen similar to military life. MCC caseworker Rusty Ratliff, a U.S. Marine veteran, works with the unit and serves as its company commander. There is also a case manager and three platoons. Each platoon has a leader and assistant leader, a quartermaster and assistant quarter master who takes care of logistics. I was able to watch a changing of the guard, where new platoon leaders and quartermaster leaders where installed. All the platoons stood in formation while the ceremony took place. These men take a great deal of pride in being a part of 4-C and spoke of the camaraderie they experience and the mentoring that takes place within the unit. They hold each other accountable and support each other, and this has given these veteran inmates something they did not expect to find behind prison walls — hope.
I plan on visiting the other two programs, one here in Jefferson City at Algoa and the other in Potosi. These men are getting the help they need to return to society as productive citizens, and I applaud our Corrections department for its innovative approach to helping incarcerated veterans.
I told you of the bills I have filed since being sworn in, and my veterans-related HB 547 is close to being voted out of the House. The bill I want to talk about today is HB 842, which relates to historic buildings. This bill will create a “Capitol Complex Fund” and authorizes it to receive any eligible monetary donation, as defined in the bill, and separates the fund into two accounts: rehabilitation and renovation account consisting of 90 percent of revenue generated, and a maintenance account consisting of 7.5 percent of revenue generated. The remaining 2.5 percent may be used for the purposes of fundraising, advertising and administrative costs.
Our community has so much history, and preserving these historic buildings for future generations is incumbent on all of us. The restoring of the Capitol Building is ongoing and a great step in the right direction, but more still needs to be done. The buildings to be included in this fund are the: State Capitol, Supreme Court building, old federal courthouse, highway building and the Governor’s Mansion.
Tax credits are not looked upon favorably in this building, however there are projects that are worthy of consideration and this is one of those. This will begin after Jan. 1, 2019, and any qualified donor will be allowed to a credit against any state income tax, except employer withheld taxes, or state taxes imposed on financial institutions for an amount equal to 50 percent of the monetary donation amount. There is a sunset on Aug. 28, 2025, unless reauthorized by the General Assembly.
This will be administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, which must not issue tax credits for donations to the Capitol Complex Fund in excess of $10 million per year in the aggregate. Donations received in excess of the cap will be placed in line for tax credits the following year.
My bill was just referred to the Ways and Means Committee for consideration. I’ll keep you informed of the movement of this bill in future columns.
It is truly an honor to serve you.
State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, represents the 60th District, and shares his perspective on statehouse issues twice a month.