HCS HB 1485 -- TAX CREDIT FOR PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTERS

SPONSOR:  Phillips (Icet)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Children
and Families by a vote of 9 to 2.

This substitute authorizes an income tax credit for 50% of
contributions to qualified pregnancy resource centers.

Pregnancy resource centers are nonresidential facilities that
provide assistance and support to women with crisis or unplanned
pregnancies and do not provide abortions or referrals for
abortion services.

The tax credit may be taken against income tax, corporate
franchise tax, insurance premium tax, financial institutions tax,
and express company tax liability.  The tax credit is not
refundable, but can be carried forward and claimed for up to four
taxable years.

The maximum credit a taxpayer can claim is $50,000 per year, and
the minimum contribution must be at least $100.  The statewide
maximum of tax credits that can be taken in any one year is $2
million.  The Department of Social Services is to designate the
centers and apportion the credits when the applications exceed
the statewide cap.

The provisions of the substitute will expire six years from the
effective date.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Cost to General Revenue Fund of $46,394
in FY 2007, $46,357 to $2,046,357 in FY 2008, and $47,523 to
$2,047,523 in FY 2009.  Estimated Cost on Other State Funds of
$2,164 in FY 2007, $0 in FY 2008, and $0 in FY 2009.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say this tax credit for donors to
pregnancy resource centers is similar to the tax credit for
domestic violence centers and maternity homes.  The credit will
provide additional support as these centers are attempting to
increase the health and welfare benefits of women through
mentoring, counseling, education, and treatment.  Pregnancy
resource centers provide care from the time a women finds out
that she is pregnant until the baby is born and sometimes up to
six months post-delivery.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Icet; Missouri
Catholic Conference; Pregnancy Care Center; Campaign Life
Missouri; Missouri Family Network; Missouri Baptist Convention,
Christian Life Commission; Missouri Right to Life; Missouri Eagle
Forum; and Alliance for Life-Missouri.

OPPONENTS:  Those who oppose the bill say that pregnancy resource
centers do not discuss all viable options and would like an
amendment requiring the centers to provide women with medically
accurate information.  The plurality of religious views on
abortion and other pregnancy options are ignored by these centers
and pressure women into one decision over another.

Testifying against the bill were Missouri Religious Coalition for
Reproductive Choice; NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri; Planned
Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains-Southwest Missouri; and Planned
Parenthood of the St. Louis Region.

Dominic Lackey, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
93rd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated November 29, 2006 at 9:43 am