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Senate Progress and Development Committee Hears YOP/NAP Tax Credit Bill
This week, the Senate Progress and Development Committee heard SB 1041, sponsored by Sen. Steve Roberts (D-St. Louis), that would increase the state tax credit available under the Youth Opportunity Program (YOP) and Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) from 50% to 70% for donations made to organizations offering those credits to donors. These tax credit programs are vital to Catholic Charities and other non-profit organizations, as they help increase private donations to support the programs that benefit our clients.
We have been supporting a similar bill in the House, HB 2089, sponsored by Rep. Michael O’Donnell (R-St. Louis), which was heard in committee several weeks ago. We learned this week from the chair of the committee that heard HB 2089 that he intends to advance the bill in the coming weeks to the House floor for debate. Keep those prayers coming for the success of these bills.
Lobbying for Domestic Violence Victims
This week, we spent a day in Jefferson City lobbying with St. Martha’s staff and Board members in support of victims of domestic violence. We met with sponsors of legislation in both the House and Senate that would allow judges to order guns removed from the homes of those convicted of felony and misdemeanor domestic violence charges after a hearing. Sen. Tracy McCreery (D-St. Louis County), shown in the photo above, is a sponsor of SB 913 that would do just that. Sponsors of similar bills include Sen. Doug Beck (D-St. Louis), Sen. Lauren Arthur (D-Kansas City), Rep. Del Taylor (D-St. Louis), Rep. Michael Burton (D-Lakeshire) and Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern (D-Kansas City). We also met with several Republicans who are supportive of our efforts, and we are hopeful that we can move this legislation forward in the future. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in November in a case out of Texas addressing a similar federal law, passed in 1996. We expect the court to rule on this case before the end of June. We are hoping a favorable ruling will open the door to similar state legislation in the years to come.
In the advocacy world, we count our victories in decades, because sometimes it takes that long to effect change. The work we do today lays the foundation for what is to come.
Keep the faith!
Deacon Tyler
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