|
JEFFERSON CITY—When the 2010 legislative session wrapped up last Friday (5/14), Missouri lawmakers had passed 106 of the more than 1750 bills filed in the General Assembly this year (32 of the measures receiving final approval were Senate bills). As senators return to their respective districts for the interim, in the coming weeks the governor will consider each bill that was sent to him for signing into law.
The governor has 15 days to act on a bill if it is sent to him during the legislative session, and 45 days if the Legislature has adjourned. All of the following bills were passed by the Legislature this year and now await the governor’s signature.
Listen to The Senate Minute’s report on the end of session.
Rebooting Government
This year the Legislature began efforts to consolidate state agencies and change or eliminate state programs to reduce the size and scope of state government, an overall cost-saving plan known as the “Rebooting Government” initiative.
The General Assembly passed several Rebooting Government provisions. The first, SB 1007 , sponsored by Sen. Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles), is expected to cut approximately $20 million in Medicaid costs. Another, HB 1965 , handled by Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield), eliminates the printing of state manuals (known as Blue Books) and State Statute books for a cost-savings of around $1.7 million in printing and postage. And, HB 1868 , handled by Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph), merges the State Highway Patrol and Water Patrol for nearly $1 million in savings.
Click here to watch a video clip of Sen. Shields discussing HB 1868.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 54 establishes the 14-member Joint Interim Committee on Reducing the Size of State Government that will work during the interim to identify places to make major budget cuts next year.
Military and Veterans Issues
House Bill 1524 , handled by Sen. David Pearce (R-Warrensburg), changes several laws regarding veterans and the military. One of the main provisions allows overseas service members and other overseas voters to request voter registration applications and absentee ballots electronically. The Secretary of State will also develop a free access system by which these voters may determine whether an absentee ballot has been received by the appropriate election authority.
The bill also establishes the Missouri Youth Challenge Academy, a residential, military-based academy that will provide work experience and training in life skills, citizenship, life-coping and academic skills to at-risk high school age youth; requires the state and local government entities to give a measured preference to service-disabled veteran businesses when selecting contractors for any job or service; and exempts a dependent of a retired military member who relocates to Missouri within one year of retirement from the three-year attendance requirement for the A+ Schools Program.
Education
House Bill 1543 , also handled in the Senate by Sen. Pearce, makes several changes to state laws relating to K–12 school employee liability, safety practices and school funding, among other provisions.
Specifically the bill adds "cyberbullying" and electronic communications to school district anti-bullying policies; expands the reporting of acts of violence to include all teachers at the students’ school building and other employees who need to know; and allows all public school districts to require a school uniform or restrict student dress.
The bill also changes the funding mechanism for the Career Ladder program by funding it upfront rather than in arrears if an appropriation is made, and allows for the Parents as Teachers program to be need-based by serving low-income families first, while also implementing a sliding scale for services based on income and family size.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Pearce discussing HB 1543.
Prompt Tax Refunds
House Bill 1408 , handled in the Senate by Sen. Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis), allows interest on unpaid state income tax refunds to begin collecting at a sooner date. Under existing law, the state has 120 days to process a filed tax refund before interest is owed; HB 1408 reduces the deadline to 90 days.
“K2” Ban
The Legislature voted to expand the state’s list of controlled substances, passing HB 1472 and sending it to the governor. The bill, handled in the Senate by Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia), bans synthetic compounds that mimic the effects of marijuana (commonly called “K2” or “spice”), among other substances.
Agriculture
Senate Bill 795 , sponsored by Sen. Rob Mayer (R-Dexter), changes several provisions relating to animals and agriculture. Among them is a provision that makes it a crime to recklessly release swine upon any public or private land not completely enclosed by a fence. In addition, SB 795 creates the Large Carnivore Act, which prohibits the owning, breeding, possession, transferring of ownership, or transporting of "large carnivores," defined as certain non-native cats or any species of non-native bear held in captivity. Under the act, any person who owns or possesses a large carnivore is liable in a civil action for the death or injury of a human or another animal and for any property damage caused by the large carnivore.
Urban Farming
House Bill 1848 establishes the Joint Interim Committee on Urban Farming, which will consist of 10 members, with five from the Senate and five from the House of Representatives. The committee is charged with studying and making recommendations regarding the impact of urban farm cooperatives, vertical farming and sustainable living communities, and examining various trends in urban farming and existing resources and capacity. The committee will hold at least one meeting in each of the three urban areas in the state and must submit its findings to the governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2010.
Other Bills Truly Agreed and Finally Passed
Several other bills received final approval from lawmakers and now await the governor’s signature:
- Senate Bill 583 , sponsored by Sen. Norma Champion (R-Springfield). Modifies several provisions relating to insurance regulation, including requiring that the unearned portion of any premium paid beyond the month of cancellation for Medicare supplement or long-term insurance policy premiums be refunded by the insurer to the policy-holder. Also requires non-resident drivers to conform with the motor vehicle financial responsibility laws of their state of residence.
- Senate Bill 940 , sponsored by Sen. Pearce. Relaxes bingo regulations in Missouri, including expanding the hours during which bingo halls can operate, increasing the number of games they are able to hold, and raising the cap on the amount of money they are allowed to spend on advertising.
- House Bill 1806 . Increases the assessed valuation thresholds for a county to move into a higher classification. First-class county classification is increased from $600 million to $900 million; second-class county classification is increased from $450 million to $600 million; and third-class county classification is increased to $600 million or less.
- House Bill 2290 . Requires the Children's Division within the Department of Social Services to develop rules that must be effective by July 1, 2011, modifying the income eligibility criteria for any person receiving state-funded child care assistance. Allows, subject to appropriations, eligible child care recipients to pay a fee based on adjusted gross income and family size unit on a child care sliding fee scale.
- House Bill 1444 , handled by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Glendale). Requires at least four days notice before public meetings where local governing bodies may vote on tax increases, eminent domain and certain districts and projects.
- House Bill 2297 , handled by Sen. Yvonne Wilson (D-Kansas City). Authorizes the establishment of the Kansas City Zoological District to raise money for zoos. Watch Sen. Wilson discuss HB 2297.
- House Bill 2226 , handled by Sen. Delbert Scott (R-Lowry City). Changes the laws regulating certain professions and hospitals.
- House Bill 1392 , handled by Sen. Joan Bray (D-St. Louis). Changes laws regarding property tax rates, including authorizing each party to an appeal that is scheduled to be heard before the State Tax Commission to request one change of the assigned hearing officer by filing a written application to disqualify the officer within 30 days of the assignment.
- House Bill 1375 . Requires the development of a brochure relating to the connection between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer and that an immunization against the infection is available. Allows a physician to use expedited partner therapy by dispensing and prescribing medications to treat certain sexually transmitted disease for non-patients.
This legislative update is written on a regular basis. To follow these and other issues facing the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. Visitors can track legislation as it passes through the General Assembly, learn more about their district, or, when the Legislature is in session, listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens. For more legislative news, please visit the Senate Newsroom . There you will find various audio and video programs and other services, such as:
- Missouri Legislative Update (MLU) – A video program produced periodically throughout the year that provides an overview of the news in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives. The program features news interviews with lawmakers and stories on issues concerning Missourians.
- Capital Dialogue – Missourinet's Bob Priddy hosts this monthly half-hour roundtable program bringing legislators together from the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives from different political parties to discuss their positions on specific issues and legislation.
- This Week in the Missouri Senate – A weekly five-minute audio program that wraps up the week’s news in the Missouri Senate. Programs are posted online every Friday in .mp3 format.
- Senate Minute – A condensed, one-minute audio report of current Senate news. Programs are posted in .mp3 format and are available through podcast. All four of these programs give listeners the option of subscribing via podcast.
- Daily Audio / Video Clips – Throughout the year, the Senate Newsroom posts broadcast-quality audio and video highlights from Senate committee hearings, floor debate, press conferences and other legislative events.
- Daily News Clips – The Senate Newsroom compiles daily news clips from various print and online publications that cover issues relating to the Legislature and state government. An archive of past clips is maintained online and is offered as a subscription service.
Subscribe / Unsubscribe
-END- |
|
