GOVERNMENT RELATIONS OFFICE OF THE MISSOURI JEWISH FEDERATIONS The Government Relations Office of the Missouri Jewish Federations (GROMJF) is concentrated in St. Louis and operates out of Jewish Federation. GROMJF acts on behalf of the Jewish communities of Missouri by taking a leadership role in supporting or opposing legislation and accessing funding for Jewish communal organizations. With a shifting landscape in the state legislature, GROMJF worked to help newer members understand the role of Federation in human service policy. With an eye toward fiscal conservatism, many members of the majority party continued to struggle with the current role of government and the slow economic growth of the state. State spending in a number of areas was cut for the sixth straight year, and tax credit programs continued to be a source of considerable discussion. GROMJF was actively involved in a number of policy discussions throughout the session, including an emphasis on human services funding, tax credit promotion for the non-profit sector and other specialty areas. Substantial efforts of GROMJF were expended on: • NORC Appropriations–Missouri State—With the support of legislators on both sides of the aisle, ongoing general revenue funding of $100,000 within the Department of Health and Senior Services was approved for the St. Louis Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) project. In the past several years, funding for NORC has been an increasingly contentious issue among members of the House and Senate. Because NORC is isolated to one area in the state and largely identified with the Jewish community, a number of members in both the House and Senate chose to target this program for criticism. This year, we were able to work with senators to include an additional $100,000 in the budget. (Note: this funding is subject to conference committee approval.) The additional funds would be used to identify and establish a second NORC project, likely in an AfricanAmerican community in Kansas City. • Tax Credit Reform—Once again, the legislature deadlocked over tax credit reform. However, key members of the Senate continue to make tax credit reform a central theme in discussions around fiscal health. This session, lawmakers seemed to understand that tax credit policy would be a stalemate. However, that did not stop many from delaying the budget and other bills while insisting on major tax credit reductions. With a number of the more extreme elements facing term limits, tax credit reform will likely be a serious discussion in the next session, as members look to correct structural imbalances in the state budget. GROMJF continued to educate and lobby members on the important role the smaller programs that benefit the non-profit sector play in supporting this important infrastructure.
VISITING A LAB IN ISRAEL
314-432-0020