Missouri should boost taxes on casinos and legalize sports betting to generate more money for the state’s seven nursing homes for military veterans, a state lawmaker said Monday.
Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, told fellow members of the Missouri Veterans Commission he plans to introduce legislation in January that would boost a $2 per patron entrance fee paid by casino operators by at least $1 to benefit the nursing homes.
His proposal, which has failed to advance in previous years, is designed to help pay for employees in the understaffed facilities to allow the homes to serve more residents.
Griffith will have assistance in lobbying for the change from the Missouri Association of Veterans Organizations, said Gary Grigsby, who serves as vice chairman of the umbrella group.
