JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — The ongoing slump in the national economy is pushing cities throughout the Midwest to fight harder for new jobs and faster growth. But some Missouri lawmakers say they’d like to turn down the heat in the Kansas City metro area.

Missouri House member T.J. Berry, a Republican from Kearney, says the states of Kansas and Missouri should put an end to tax credits that draw businesses back and forth across the state line without actually creating new jobs.

Berry has sponsored a bill in the Missouri Legislature to end those incentives. His bill would also require Kansas lawmakers to pass a similar measure.

Berry’s bill has passed the Missouri House and moved on to the Senate, but Republicans in Kansas say they aren’t interested in a similar bill.