April 18, 2019 Less than a minute read

Truce nears in Missouri/Kansas border war

Missouri lawmakers are continuing to push legislation that could finally end the economic border war between Missouri and Kansas.

On April 16, the Missouri House Economic Development Committee passed Senate Bill 182 by Sen. Mike Cierpiot. The legislation would end the practice of poaching jobs back and forth across State Line Road in Kansas City.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has testified in support of this measure alongside the Hall Family Foundation and several prominent Kansas City-area businesses including Cerner, Hallmark, Burns & McDonnell and JE Dunn Construction.

Current state law in Missouri and Kansas has led to tens of millions of dollars in public funds being used to incentivize businesses to make a short move across the border — with little actual job growth for either state. Past efforts to call a truce were unsuccessful, but there is hope that with new leadership in both states, the timing is finally right.

“In the period from 2011 to 2017, the estimate is over $70 million of public funds have been used by the two states for relocating existing businesses across the state line with almost no new net job creation from either state,” Cierpiot said during a hearing on the bill.


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