Sarah Lawson/St. Joe Now

Governor Jay Nixon performed a ceremonial signing of the bipartisan jobs bill Friday morning at the Kit Bond Science and Industry Incubator.

St. Joseph is poised to be more of a national player in animal sciences with help from Missouri’s new economic development bill, Gov. Jay Nixon said during a visit Friday.

Touting a jobs bill that creates tax breaks and incentives for thousands of Missouri businesses, Mr. Nixon said the legislation will spur thousands of new jobs in high-tech fields and entice the unemployed into school to fill those jobs.

Mr. Nixon signed a ceremonial copy of the legislation at St. Joseph’s new incubator. His visit was part of a statewide tour to explain the massive bipartisan bill, which he signed into law last month. He calls it the most important and decisive bill passed this year.

The bill eliminates Missouri’s corporate franchise tax for most of the businesses that pay it and enlarges the tax incentives available for employers who expand their payrolls or plants. Animal pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica is a recent benefactor.

Mr. Nixon said he is bullish on Missouri’s current economic state. Although, he said, the state faces a 25-year high in unemployment, 250,000 Missourians out of work and small businesses struggling to stay open.

The governor likens his role to a basketball coach trying to recruit talent. He intends to use the new jobs bill to recruit high-tech companies to Missouri.

“I am extremely optimistic that this bill gives me all the tools I need in the short run to stare across the table with any company, or any investor, or any entrepreneur and provide to them competitive opportunity with any states in our region,” Mr. Nixon said.

He cites a “cluster-build” of animal health science companies in St. Joseph. As part of his visit, Mr. Nixon toured the Bond Science and Technology Incubator at Missouri Western State University.

Mr. Nixon said he was recently at the National Science Economic conference in Atlanta, trying to recruit companies to Missouri. “St. Joe was the centerpiece of discussions down there, and Missouri Western is really on the map,” he said.

The incubator is accessible for start-up life science businesses and as a training center to prepare potential employees for St. Joseph’s animal health industries. It can accommodate between 10 and 15 tenants. The incubator currently has four tenants.

Ahmad Safi can be reached at ahmadsafi@npgco.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.