In March, Nixon's administration proposed reorganizing the state's roughly 60 tax credit programs into six general categories and capping certain tax credits at $314 million per year.

"These tax credits do leverage funds to raise many more times those dollars in local communities," said Cindi Boston, CEO of the Pregnancy Care Center in Springfield.

Republican House leaders have defended tax credits as good economic development tools and have denounced efforts to sharply curtail them.

Speaker of the House Ron Richard, R-Joplin, is opposed to Nixon's effort to rein in tax credits. He defends them as an important part of economic development.

Rep. John Diehl, R-Town and Country, favors a go-slow approach on overhauling tax credits. "I don't think there's anything we have to have if it means gutting the programs we have now," he said. "I don't see the House rushing to judgment on any of this."

The challenge is mostly one of time. As directed in the state constitution, the session ends at 6 p.m. Friday.

In late March, the MGA and SLU released a study showing that, over the last 10 years, the historic tax credits have helped create or retain more than 43,000 jobs and have led to more than $669 million in new sales and income tax revenue for state and local governments.

Researchers for the study found that every situation where historic tax credits were used, the credits sparked more development nearby and, in the case of Ste. Genevieve and Hermann, helped increase tourism. There were no situations they found in which the tax credits didn’t work in that way.

Developers in Joplin say the Governor's push for tax credit reform would hurt a program that has been central to revitalizing downtown Joplin. 

Kristen Blanchard, spokeswoman for Representative Ron Richard, R-Joplin, said Richard is "open to meeting with the governor and would support a comprehensive review of the program at some point, provided it was 'objective' and included a cost-benefit analysis of the tax credit programs."

The Historic Tax Credit is under its worst attack since its inception in 1998. We need your support to preserve this effective economic development program. Without your financial support, the Coalition cannot keep its lobbyist and staff coordinator working to protect the Historic Tax Credit. Please give so we can help you and Missouri move forward. 

Below is our fundraising letter and donation form in addition to three letters for you to mail to the Missouri Governor, Senate President Pro Tem and Speaker of the House that express your support of Historic Tax Credits. We appreciate your support!

Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder held a press conference this morning in support of Historic Tax Credits in front of the Old Post Office, Downtown St. Louis. Please see this St. Louis Business Journal article below by Lisa Brown, describing the event. Thanks to all those who participated and were able to attend! Click on the link to the article below, where you are encouraged to post comments.

Kinder touts benefits of tax credits

 St. Louis Business Journal - by Lisa R. Brown

Be sure to see the video link of Representative Diehl in the article.

Below is STL Today's recap of Governor Nixon's Capital News Conference surrounded by university and public school officials. Labor and Economic Development groups would also like to meet with the Governor personally to discuss this issue and find an appropriate solution. The coalition does not believe this is an issue that should be framed as Jobs vs. Education. This is particularly true given we are in the worst jobs, housing and financial crisis since the Great Depression. We need leadership that moves our entire state forward. 

A MO Growth/Saint Louis University study says the historic tax credit program more than pays for itself. 

For those of you who do not know (as we did not) what "moribund" means in Virginia Young's article, Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as: "being in the state of dying, approaching death; being in a state of inactivity or obsolescence."

This pie chart, developed to show where the money goes in a typical development project, was designed from an actual St. Louis LIHTC and Historic tax credit project. It was cost certified by an independent accounting firm. More than 60 professional groups benefit from an average development project. 

These talking points and letter to the Governor were distributed Friday, April 16th at the Spring Real Estate Forum: Historic Tax Credits panel discussion featuring:

Zack Boyers, Chairman and CEO of US Bancorp Community Development Corporation

Kevin Buchek, President of EM Harris Construction

Andrew Smith, VP and Historic Studio Director of Trivers Associates

Thomas K. Vandiver, Partner of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP