Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, a Democrat running for governor, was swift to praise the Republican-led state Senate for Wednesday’s action on a measure that he said is similar to one of his own proposals.

Said Nixon’s campaign in a release: “Today the Missouri Senate passed a property tax relief bill that included several provisions nearly identical to a proposal outlined by Jay Nixon on January 7, 2008. “

Wednesday’s statement includes a copy of that old release, entitled, “Jay Nixon Proposes Property Tax Relief for Missouri Seniors…Calls for Elimination of Unfair Marriage Penalty and Expansion of Property Tax Credit Program for Seniors”

Wednesday’s statement noted that the Senate-passed bill, like Nixon’s proposal, would “increase the state’s maximum property tax subsidy for senior citizens from $750 to $1,100. For married couples who own their homes, the bill would expand eligibility for the credit to couples with annual incomes up to $40,000, up from the current maximum of $29,500 a year.” [Kansas City Star, “Prime Buzz,” 2/27/08]

“This just goes to show that when common-sense solutions are put on the table, Republicans and Democrats can come together and get the job done,” Nixon’s campaign concluded.

Also likely happy with the bill: state Senate President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, who’s seeking to succeed Nixon as attorney general.

UPDATE: A spokeswoman for the Senate Majority Caucus e-mailed that blog readers should be alerted “that the bill Sen. Gibbons introduced on Dec. 1, 2007 (before any of Nixon’s proposals) included the increase in the Circuit Breaker tax credit from $750 to $1100.
“Sen. (Wes) Shoemyer introduced an amendment on the floor during debate to up the tax credit program to $30,000 for singles and $40,000 for married couples, but Sen. Gibbons made sure that amendment only applied to homeowners, not renters,” she added.