Missouri REALTORS® had a great Valentine's Day. HB 1796, First Time Home-Buyers Savings Account Act, was perfected at roughly 4:10 PM. Listen to the discussion on the bill. Some of the voices you will hear, Rep. Becky Ruth, the bill sponsor; Rep. Rocky Miller from Lake Ozark who discusses the many emails he received from the REALTORS® in his district; Rep. Dan Shaul from Imperial; Rep. Mary Nichols from Maryland Heights and Rep. Michael Butler from St. Louis. It was a pretty bipartisan group all urging their colleagues to support the bill. The final House vote on the bill should take place early next week; then it is on to the Senate.
Another Valentine’s Day surprise was HB 2457, by Sonya Murray Anderson; this is the vacation rental bill that we’ve been expecting for the last several weeks. I’ve been told that the Hotel/Motel Association is planning to file their version as well. Read the bill.
The hearing on HB 1510, limits the ability of cities to compel interior inspections of certain properties was scheduled to be the first bill heard by the House Committee on General Laws. The hearing began with discussion of Speaker Todd Richardson’s HB 2179, the Anti-Discrimination Against Israel Act. That took a while. Rep. Cross, sponsor of HB 1510, had a great group of witnesses who presented compelling testimony against some of the excesses in various city inspection programs, the Missouri Municipal League presented testimony in opposition as did a witness from the St. Louis County Municipal League.
The House Hearing on HB 2214, Rep. Dean Plocher’s proposed legislation regulating PACE lenders was shaken up by two REALTORS® who presented their views on the need for additional consumer protection in these loans. Todd Thomas and Isabelle Walker gave brief but compelling testimony urging additional regulation of the industry. I had a chance to discuss the issue with some of the committee members after the hearing, and they all remarked on that testimony.
I expected debate on SB 590, Historic Tax credits, to begin this past week in the Senate. Because of ongoing discussion of legislation regulating utility companies, and somewhat of the breakdown in the Senate that debate will likely begin next week. You have responded well to the CFA on that issue but keep it up, if you haven’t responded, please do.
Review the list of bills, including our position and progress.