Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is calling for a moratorium with neighboring Kansas on efforts to lure companies across the border.
In a speech to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Nixon said economic incentives should be used to attract new businesses to the area rather than simply relocating ones already there. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has suggested a similar pact, though no formal agreement has been reached.
According to an analysis by The Associated Press, Missouri and Kansas have been waging an intense competition for businesses, committing more than $750 million in tax incentives and bonds in the past five years. That's gotten nearly 200 businesses to locate or expand in the Kansas City area.
Some of those businesses have merely shifted existing jobs a few miles away.