JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on the Missouri Legislature’s special session (all times local):
5:40 p.m.
The Missouri House has given final approval to a proposal that supporters say would bring hundreds of jobs to the southeastern corner of the state.
The proposal passed Wednesday with a 120-17 vote.
The original bill would’ve allowed steel-works facilities and aluminum smelters to negotiate lower utilities rates than what is allowed under current law. Lawmakers later expanded the proposal to allow any new facility using more than 50 megawatts of electricity a month to negotiate lower rates.
Critics said the proposal would require ratepayers to bear the impact of lower electricity rates for metal manufacturing companies that use a lot of electricity.
The bill now moves to the Senate where it stalled during the regular session over concerns about unfettered rate increases for utilities customers.
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3:15 p.m.
The Missouri House has given initial approval to a bill that would allow manufacturing companies that use a lot of electricity to negotiate lower rates from utility providers.
The House voted 125-15 Wednesday to advance a measure that supporters say could attract a new steel mill to southeast Missouri.
The original bill would’ve allowed only steel-works facilities and aluminum smelters to receive lower rates. But lawmakers expanded it Wednesday to include all new facilities using more than 50 megawatts of electricity a month.
A proposed steel mill in New Madrid is expected to use 50 to 60 megawatts of electricity monthly, said bill sponsor Rep. Don Rone. An aluminum smelter would use an estimated 180 to 190 megawatts.
Critics say lower rates for major manufacturers could require average households to pay more for electricity.
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9 a.m.
The Missouri House is set to debate a bill that supporters say would bring a steel mill and hundreds of jobs to the southeastern corner of the state.
The Wednesday debate will be over a proposal that would allow steel-works companies and aluminum smelters to negotiate lower electricity rates than are allowed under current law.
Bill sponsor Rep. Don Rone said Tuesday that the bill would bring jobs back to an area that saw significant job loss when an aluminum smelter closed last year.
The proposal received overwhelming support during the regular session in the House. It stalled in the Senate over concerns about a provision that critics said could’ve allowed major utilities companies to raise rates more easily. That provision was removed yesterday in a committee.
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