By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – The job expansion bill being championed by Governor Jay Nixon has come under fire in the Missouri Senate.
Several Republican senators, including Brad Lager from Maryville, say they won't allow Governor Nixon's job creation plan to pass unless new limits are placed on state tax breaks.
"I would prefer that we take a methodical approach and do it right, versus just speeding a bill through here and, for lack of a better term, keep doing what we've been doing, but expect something different to occur," Lager said.
Governor Nixon says there's nothing wrong with the legislation as is.
"(It) got through the House in overwhelming numbers, we're glad it's already on the floor of the Senate here in the second week of February...we hope that they move it through there and get it to my desk before Spring Break...I think it's a program that works," Nixon said.
The centerpiece of the bill is a provision that would remove limits on the number of tax breaks provided through the Quality Jobs Program. The program gives incentives to businesses that pay half the cost of health care coverage for their workers.