Mo. bill would make governor sign off on big incentives

A Missouri lawmaker wants to give Gov. Jay Nixon a greater chance to claim credit — or take the blame — for major job-creation incentives.

Legislation outlined Friday to The Associated Press by House member Jay Barnes would require the governor's signature on all discretionary tax credits of more than $1 million.

The bill also would consolidate several existing business incentives into one new program that would give the Department of Economic Development and the governor greater discretion in determining how much money to award to businesses.

Barnes is a Republican from Jefferson City who has been a leading critic of Missouri's current job-creation incentives. The current Quality Jobs program entitles businesses to incentives if they create a certain number of new jobs with average wages and health benefits.