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"Missouri Works" works its way through the legislature

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The Missouri Capitol building, where Senate Democrats filibustered a workplace discrimination reform bill into the evening hours Wednesday.

Missouri lawmakers havepassed legislation consolidating four of the state's business incentives.

The newly created Missouri Works program would be modeled after the current Quality Jobs program, which would come to an end.

Like Quality Jobs, the new program would offer tax breaks to businesses that add a certain number of jobs that meet particular wage thresholds and include health benefits. But the new program would include lower job thresholds for businesses to qualify and would grant more discretion to the Department of Economic Development in determining how much money they should get.

The proposal was a priority for Gov. Jay Nixon.

House members gave it final approval Friday by a 98-59 vote.

They also passed a second prong of Missouri Works that would consolidate existing job training programs.

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