House members to consider steel mill bill Wednesday in special session

The full Missouri House is set to gather Wednesday for the on-going special session.

On Tuesday, a Missouri House committee endorsed a bill authorizing discounted electric rates for steel and aluminum production facilities after removing a more controversial provision.

The revised bill is expected to be considered Wednesday by the full House after the chamber’s utilities committee voted Tuesday to advance it.

Lawmakers are meeting in a special session called by Gov. Eric Greitens to consider electric rate incentives that supporters say could lead to hundreds of jobs if a steel-works facility and aluminum smelter locate near the southeast Missouri town of New Madrid. The lower rates for those facilities could be offset with higher costs for other customers.

Committee members removed another section of the bill that would have let the Public Service Commission consider new reasons for rate increases for electric companies.