​​Missouri governor hopeful Bill Eigel rejects affordable child care proposal

Missouri state Sen. Bill Eigel, who is currently running for governor, said he would oppose a popular plan to make child care more affordable because it uses tax credits. Eigel has supported tax credits in the past.

An analysis by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce found that more than three-quarters of the state is a child care desert, meaning child care is either unavailable or prohibitively expensive. This keeps parents out of the workforce and impacts the company's ability to be fully staffed.

House Bill 1488 aims to address this crisis by reimbursing taxpayers for 75% of funds spent on child care. The bill passed the state House of Representatives on February 8 with bipartisan support. The bill has not yet received a full vote in the Senate.

Eigel told KTVI News he will vote against HB 1488.

“I was not a fan of tax credits at all, because that is exactly the process by which the government gives benefits to some people in the population, but not to all,” Eigel said.

In October 2023, Eigel defeated and defeated similar legislation.

Despite this position, Eigel supported legislation in 2021 that would allow parents to receive a 100 percent tax refund on a child's private school tuition. The bill would also allow new charter schools to open.

State analysts estimated the plan would have diverted $100 million from public schools. The law was not passed.

While Eigel is mixed on the issue of tax credits, he has consistently opposed bills that could help ease the burden of child care costs. In 2023, he criticized a proposal by Republican Governor Mike Parson to expand early kindergarten.

Eigel has served in the state Senate since 2017. His opponents in the Republican primary for governor include Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe. The primary election is scheduled for August 6th.

A spokesman for the Eigel campaign had no comment for this article.