Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Dan Mehan (second from right) and Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick (to Mr. Mehan’s right) helped organize the October 4, 2023 child care forum in Columbia (photo courtesy of Missouri Chamber spokeswoman Megan Davis)
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry president says the Show-Me State is missing out on more than $1-billion annually due to child care issues, including a $280-million annual loss in tax revenue.
Chamber president Dan Mehan tells 939 the Eagle that bipartisan child care tax credit legislation is a 2024 priority of the business community across Missouri.
“The governor has been a great leader on this. People like (State Rep.) Brenda Shields, (State Sen.) Lauren Arthur have really led on this thing and made it a major issue for the next session,” Mr. Mehan says.
State Sen. Lauren Arthur (D-Kansas City) speaks on the Missouri Senate floor on March 24, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea at Senate Communications)
Representative Shields is a St. Joseph Republican, while Senator Arthur is a Kansas City Democrat.
The Missouri Chamber says a recent report shows 28 percent of respondents say they or someone in their household left a job or didn’t take a job due to problems with child care. A bill died on the final day of session in May due to a Missouri Senate filibuster on unrelated issues. The bipartisan bill would have increased the capacity of child care providers and would have helped businesses offer child care benefits to support the retention and recruitment of employees.
“Because it contributes to the success or failure in our workforce development in our ability to get people back in their jobs. And you need child care throughout the state to allow the workforce to return to work,” says Mehan.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson and Columbia Chamber of Commerce president Matt McCormick (left) brief Leadership Columbia participants on March 7, 2023 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)
GOP Governor Mike Parson has made this issue a priority as well, saying 89 of Missouri’s 115 counties are considered a child care desert.
Meantime, the Columbia and Jefferson City Area Chambers of Commerce are teaming up with the state Chamber to push bipartisan child care tax credit legislation as a top priority for Missouri’s 2024 legislative session. The three organizations and the University of Missouri hosted a forum on the issue this week, where a Mizzou official recalled having lunch with Tiger basketball coach Dennis Gates. The official says Coach Gates told him that day that child care is a major issue for his assistant coaches. Columbia Chamber president Matt McCormick tells 939 the Eagle he’s not surprised.
“But you can take it to trying to recruit insurance agents, trying to recruit communications people, trying to recruit people to work in your warehouse. It doesn’t matter where it’s at, it’s if they need child care services, we’re struggling,” says McCormick.
Missouri’s 2024 legislative session begins on Wednesday January 3 in Jefferson City.