JEFFERSON CITY -- The leader of the Missouri Senate removed an impediment to the Ford bill in the special session today by taking away a committee chairmanship from state Sen. Chuck Purgason, R-Caulfield.
Last week, Purgason blocked the Ford bill from getting through is government accountability committee, putting the key issue in the special session in peril. Today, Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, removed Purgason as chair of the committee.
Shields, the president pro tem of the Senate, named himself the chairman of the committee, which is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
"Chuck is a good friend and senator," said Shields in a statement. "Unfortunately, his philosophies and decision to not vote on this bill hinder Missouri from competing for jobs in today's world. Some may not like it, but we must pursue tax-incentive programs to compete with other states to keep and bring new jobs to Missouri."
Purgason, who is running for U.S. Senate, has been among a group of conservative Republicans in the Senate critical of the state's various tax credit programs, where tax incentives are given to large companies to lure them to the state, or to expand.
That's the key to the Ford bill, which would offer the automobile manufacturer and its suppliers up to $150 million in tax incentives over 10 years of the companies expand product lines and stay in Missouri.
Purgason said he wasn't surprised by being removed.
"There is a lot of money and influence behind this decision," he said. "That's politics."
Gov. Jay Nixon called lawmakers to the special session by saying that without the bill, Ford was likely to leave the state, as other states are offering similar incentives.
Leaders in both the House and Senate have now removed members from committees because of their lack of support for the Ford bill. On the session's first day, Speaker of the House Ron Richard removed some fellow Republicans from a couple of House committees, including Speaker Pro Tem Rep. Bryan Pratt, R-Blue Springs, who called the Ford bill a "bailout."
When Purgason refused to allow the bill out of committee, he vowed to block it from passing.
"We suck at economic development," Purgason said at the time.
Lawmakers return to the Capitol on Tuesday to consider both the Ford bill and another bill that would require future state employees to contribute to their pensions, thus reducing future state costs. Nixon said the pension savings are necessary to pay for the Ford incentives.
While he could still delay passage of the bill, it's unlikely Purgason could successfully filibuster it, since there is no other action to hold up by using the delay tactic.
He said on Monday, though, that he isn't done trying to stop the bill.
"I'm going to have a long discussion about free market principles," when the bill comes up for debate in the Senate, Purgason said. "I would like for my Republican Party to start standing up for what we believe in -- things like the free market. Unfortunately, my party has shown that we're part of the problem."
The House has already passed the Ford bill, though the version it passed had other incentives that Nixon said this week were outside his call for a special session.
The House and Senate will have to agree to the same versions of both the Ford and pension bills for them to be sent to Nixon's desk for his signature.
