Business Advocacy

Our advocacy work is like a megaphone With the start of the Missouri General Assembly session, our public affairs volunteers and staff are in high gear, traveling to the capitol each week to advocate the legislative agenda recommended by our Legislative Policy Committee and approved by our board of directors. For 31 years, the Chamber…

Chamber, MSU build Springfield’s international network Consider this—95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States. Also consider that there are more than 1,800 international students from more than 80 countries that attend Missouri State University. These two numbers represent a significant opportunity for Springfield. Since 2008, the Chamber’s International Business Council has worked…

Legislators weigh in on hits and misses from the session Members packed the Chamber to hear state Senator Mike Parson and Representative Kevin Austin share their take on what—at least from a Chamber perspective—was one of the strongest legislative sessions in many years. “This has been a very successful year for southwest Missouri,” Parson said. “It is…

Nixon signs legislation to protect businesses, taxpayers Picture this—you’re busy at work, when you get a letter from the Missouri Department of Revenue saying that you have to pay more than $90,000 in back taxes you never knew you owed. This is the scenario that state legislators are putting a stop to with a bill recently…

Legislation brings needed health care training programs to Springfield Thanks to the $26 billion budget passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor last month, Springfield will receive $10 million for the University of Missouri School of Medicine class expansion and Springfield clinical campus as well as $1.3 million for occupational therapy and other related programs…

Check out our 2015 Legislative Recap State Legislative Recap During the 2015 legislative session, over 2000 bills were filed and in the end, only 133 bills passed.  Due to a filibuster and a procedural move in the Senate, only two pieces of legislation passed out of that chamber during the last week – which has historically been…

Deadlines loom as lawmakers weigh critical legislation With just days remaining in the legislative session, the state capitol is abuzz with activity. Meanwhile, at the federal level, lawmakers are also facing tight deadlines on key business issues. Check out the update below to see where a few of the Chamber’s top priorities stand. State Legislative…

Top Chamber priority passes, signifying win for job creation Data centers are where the internet lives. These massive compounds, filled with powerful computers store, process and distribute tremendous amounts of information, and these facilities are generating large investments and creating high paying jobs across the country. In fact, just this week an Overland Park data…

Legislative Update: Right to Work, Federal Transportation and Bonding State Legislative Update: Bonding The state bonding bill authorizing up to $600 million in new bonding authority by the state has passed the House Select Budget Committee and has been set on the House calendar for debate. The bill includes project lists for state buildings and higher…

Legislative Update: Data Centers, Transportation Funding and more With only four weeks left in the legislative session, the Capitol is full of activity, including efforts to get legislation across the finish line and for the House and Senate to reach agreement on the proposed 2016 state budget.  Below is a status update on a few…