The Missouri House gave first round approval to a bill that would ask voters to raise taxes for veteran services.
The proposed constitutional amendment would create a one-eighth cent sales tax for funding veterans' homes, services and programs.
Sponsor of the bill Barney Fisher from south-west Missouri says this bill would be a great leap forward to support the veterans in the state.
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Description: "Missouri has 565,000 veterans and right now only 10-percent have ever availed themselves of the benefits that they have." |
Missouri voters would decide whether to raise sales tax to support veterans under a bill that passed with overwhelming majority in the House.
Sponsor of the bill Barney Fisher says most of the veterans don't know what their benefits are.
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Description: "The problem is most veterans just don't know what their benefits are and we have a need for the veteran service officers to help them, know where to access their benefits. This will benefit both the state and the veterans." |
Fisher says there is currently not enough beds in the veteran homes.
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Description: "We literally have people sitting on the waiting list to get into a veterans home and die before they gain entrance." |
From Jefferson City, this is Suvro Banerji, KMOX News.