Creve Coeur State Rep: Special Session Concerns Over China Hub & Social Media Law

State Representative Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) has been working on dual tracks since the legislative session in Jefferson City ended back in May.

She, along with with other state lawmakers, have been following the ongoing negotiations which led Governor Jay Nixon to call for a special session next month to address legislation which would allow Lambert- St. Louis International Airport to become a cargo hub for China trade.

She's also recovering from a double knee replacement.

On Tuesday, Schupp spoke with constituents at a breakfast held at in to brief them on the session that was and what's to come.

Among their questions about the China Hub, residents wanted to know if China has expressed an interest--"Nothing in the legislation guarantees a commitment," Schupp said. While the idea holds promise for economic development in her 82nd district, which also includes Chesterfield, Town and Country and parts of of unincorporated St. Louis County, Schupp also pointed to other concerns about what she said is a 356 page bill:

• What happens if it doesn't work?
• Why would oversight of the program fall under the County Executive and St. Louis Mayor's Office, considering the amount of state funding involved?
• How would the funding impact tax credit programs for low income senior renters in Missouri?

Schupp said she's working with a group of more than a dozen democratic house members who have heard from a wide variety of political interests on ways the bill might be changed. She also knows that the legislation would not have been proposed for the special session unless there was a belief among leading lawmakers that something would pass.

One item not currently on the agenda for next month's session is a revision to Senate Bill 54. The bill has gained wider attention for controversy over a lesser aspect of the overall legislation, a component dealing with social media restrictions which has led the and a

Schupp voted for the legislation and told Patch that while there are parts of the bill she would like to redo, next month may not be the time.

"I believe the only way it can be brought successfully to special session is if there is pretty strong agreement as to how it has to change in advance. Otherwise, we will find ourselves spending additional taxpayer dollars to battle this out in an expensive special session rather than during the regular session for which we are already budgeted."

Other items already included in the call for a special session include a bill to help the state to Missouri and the idea of "Local Control" for the St. Louis Police Department.