Missouri S&T Bill Enacted; Future Uncertain

Gov. Jay Nixon last week signed into law the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA) nearly two years after first proposing the initiative (see the Jan. 6, 2010 issue of the Digest). MOSIRA creates a funding source to grow research and technology companies by capturing a percentage of the growth in state revenue over a base year (fiscal year 2010) from a designated group of science and innovation companies. The Missouri Technology Corporation will administer the funds, reinvesting them through loans and other means in programs designed to create jobs, nurture startups and bring science and technology companies to the state, according to the governor's office. Implementing the bill may prove to be a challenging task, however. The bill, SB7, contains a clause that makes it contingent on the passage of a larger economic development incentives bill, which failed to pass in the legislature. The ultimate decision may come from the courts who could decide whether or not to void the contingency wording, reports The Kansas City Star. The governor's signature on the bill allows the state to initiate steps toward implementing the measures.