JEFFERSON CITY—This Saturday, Aug. 28, most of the bills passed during the 2010 legislative session that were not previously enacted or do not have specified future effective dates will officially become law.
Rather than being just an arbitrary date, Aug. 28 is 90 days after the constitutional end of session. This is significant because the Missouri Constitution requires that no passed bills take effect before 90 days have passed with a few exceptions.
For instance, most budget bills take effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year, which is July 1 (unless they are supplemental budget bills for the current fiscal year). Other bills may contain an emergency clause that was attached during passage, which means they usually take effect immediately upon receiving the governor’s signature. In larger bills, certain provisions may designate specific enactment dates while others do not. And some bills may be assigned a different enactment date altogether, such as the beginning of the following year.
Some of the bills set to become law Aug. 28 include:
ETHICS
Senate Bill 844 (sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph) creates stronger ethical standards within Missouri government, including allowing the Missouri Ethics Commission to independently investigate ethics violations without an outside complaint being filed; requiring contributions of more than $500 to incumbent officials and their challengers during legislative session be electronically reported within 48 hours; and limiting the transferring of contributions among most committees.
ABORTION
Senate Bill 793 (sponsored by Sen. Rob Mayer, R-Dexter) requires that several provisions be fulfilled at least 24 hours before an abortion may be performed, including providing the mother an opportunity to see an ultrasound and hear the child’s heartbeat and presenting her with materials detailing the risks of an abortion and showing the development of the baby. Expectant mothers will also be informed about the father’s responsibility for child support, the state’s Alternatives to Abortion Program and the medical assistance and counseling resources available.
DWI
House Bill 1695 (handled by Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia) strengthens the state’s laws regarding intoxication-related traffic offenses and allows for the establishment of special DWI courts.
K2 BAN
House Bill 1472 (handled by Sen. Schaefer) criminalizes the possession of spice cannabinoids, also known as “K2,” in Missouri. The synthetic compounds mimic the effects of marijuana.
INCOME TAX RETURNS
House Bill 1408 (handled 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.
GIRL SCOUT DAY
Senate Bill 649 (sponsored by Sen. Rita Days, D-St. Louis) requires the governor to designate March 12 each year as “Girl Scout Day.”
DEADLY FORCE
House Bill 2081 (handled by Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mt. Vernon) specifies that a pregnant woman may use deadly force if she reasonably believes it is necessary to protect her unborn baby against death, serious physical injury or any forcible felony.
TAXES
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 changing the assigned hearing officer by filing a written application to disqualify the officer within 30 days of the assignment.
ZOOLOGICAL DISTRICT
House Bill 2297 (handled by Sen. Yvonne Wilson, D-Kansas City) authorizes the establishment of a Kansas City Zoological District to raise money for zoos.
REBOOTING GOVERNMENT
Senate Bill 1007 (sponsored by Sen. Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles) is a Medicaid cost containment bill that is expected to save nearly $20 million. One provision requires MO HealthNet recipients to be informed about their options before being admitted to a long-term care facility.
House Bill 1868 (handled by Sen. Shields) merges the State Highway Patrol and Water Patrol for nearly $1 million in anticipated savings. In addition, the measure establishes the 13-member Joint Committee on the Reduction and Reorganization of Programs within State Government, which will recommend to the General Assembly ideas for reducing, eliminating or combining state programs.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
House Bill 1750 (handled by Sen. John Griesheimer, R-Washington) requires the state’s largest telecommunications companies to balance out the differences between interstate and intrastate access rates for Incumbent Local Exchange Telecommunications Companies (ILECs). Under the bill, ILECs would be required to reduce their rates by 6 percent of the difference per year for three years, until the interstate and intrastate rates are more comparable.
VETO SESSION
Lawmakers are also preparing for the annual veto session, which requires the Legislature to convene Wednesday, Sept. 15. Both chambers could potentially discuss the bills that were vetoed by the governor this summer, and may vote to overturn any or all of the vetoes.
Of the 32 Senate bills and 74 House bills passed by the Legislature and sent to the governor, four House bills and one Senate bill received the governor’s veto (one budget bill, HB 2007, contains a line-item veto of $300,000). A two-thirds vote during veto session is required by both chambers to override a governor’s veto.
During the veto session, the Senate will also bid farewell to 10 retiring members during a special retirement ceremony.
This update is written monthly during the interim. 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.
- 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.
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