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Committee kills ‘public-private’ bill for Missouri roads

A Missouri Senate bill that would have set the table for an expanded use of public-private partnerships on highways and bridges has failed to advance from the Senate Transportation Committee.

A tie vote in the committee on Wednesday, April 29, resulted in the failure of HB354. It would have authorized the state to expand PPPs beyond current stipulations that allow only a Mississippi River project near St. Louis to use the funding mechanism.

Failure of HB354 does not spell the end for PPPs in Missouri. Lawmakers incorporated portions of HB354 into a larger transportation omnibus bill, HB683, but the language for highways and bridges was removed according to Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Stouffer, R-21st District.

Should HB683 pass, public-private partnerships would be authorized for pipelines, ferries, river ports, airports, railroads and mass transit.

A conference committee of state House and Senate members was working on unifying bill language as of press time.

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State Legislative Editor Keith Goble contributed to this report
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