Winter2017

ENDING THE DELIVERY FEE TAX
Delivery fees will no longer be subject
to sales tax under a new law sponsored by
Sen. Will Kraus, a Republican from Lee’s
Summit. Before 2015, sales tax had never
been assessed on delivery fees. But a court
ruling that year gave the state the goahead
to begin taxing deliveries. Senate
Bill 16 will prohibit the Department
of Revenue from assessing sales tax on
delivery fees.
ENSURING A CONSISTENT MINIMUM WAGE
In addition, lawmakers passed a law
responding to a minimum wage hike
in St. Louis. House Bills 1194/1193
will pre-empt and nullify all local laws
establishing minimum wage rates higher
than Missouri’s state minimum wage.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep.
Dan Shaul, a Republican from Imperial,
and Rep. Jason Chipman, a Republican
from St. James.
BRINGING RIGHT-TO-WORK TO MISSOURI
The General Assembly made quick
progress on right-to-work, and Senate Bill
19 was signed into law in early February.
Sen. Dan Brown, a Republican from Rolla,
sponsored the bill. While the bill passed
easily this year, it was an accomplishment
decades in the making. The Missouri
Chamber has been advocating for rightto-work
since 1952.
FUNDING MISSOURI SCHOOLS
Lawmakers achieved a major success
when they wrote a state budget that
prioritizes education in a way we’ve never
seen. Budget writers chose to fully fund
the state’s K-12 foundation formula. This
decision aligns directly with an action
item included in the Missouri 2030 plan.
Fully funding the foundation formula
also triggers additional state investment
in early childhood education.
“The recent change to the way
workers’ compensation law is
interpreted under the Templemire
decision caused a significant
challenge for businesses
all over Missouri. We’re grateful
to the legislature for addressing
workers’ compensation reform
this session and establishing
a more equitable environment
for all parties. Treating each of
our co-workers in a way that is
respectful and fair is essential
to our company, and the return
to the unbiased standard that
Missouri has used for nearly 40
years will provide both protection
for Missouri workers and
predictability for employers.
– Denise Silvey, Manager of
Human Resources
Paul Mueller Co.
Vice Chairman for Public Affairs,
Springfield Area Chamber of
Commerce Board of Directors
”CASEY BUCKMAN
28 MISSOURI BUSINESS