JEFFERSON CITY — Before the final gavel fell in the Senate this week, lawmakers third read and gave their final passing vote to 10 bills, sending them to the House of Representatives for similar consideration.  Legislation protecting elderly and disabled Missourians from certain crimes and a bill creating the crime of disrupting a house of worship were among the measures approved by Senate today (3-22).

Among the bills given the Senate’s final approval:

• Senate Bill 714, which would allow recreational off-highway vehicles to be operated on highways as long as they are government-owned and operated for official use, operated for agricultural purposes or industrial on-premise purposes between sunrise and sunset, operated within three miles of the operator’s primary residence, or operated occasionally by handicapped individuals for short distances only on Missouri’s secondary roads between sunrise and sunset, among other exceptions.
• Senate Bill 689, which would criminalize the “undue influence” of a senior or disabled citizen — undue influence is described as a crime of financial exploitation committed against an elderly or disabled person by taking advantage of the individual’s vulnerable state of mind, neediness, pain or agony.
• Senate Bill 620, which would amend a section in state statute to allow life insurers licensed in Missouri to write limited amounts of non-life business, subject to specified limitations, outside of the United States.
• Senate Bill 557, sponsored by Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla, would not require owners of certain rebuilt salvage vehicles who submit these vehicles to the Missouri State Highway Patrol for examination in order to obtain a certificate of ownership to repair or restore these vehicles to their original appearance in order to pass or complete the vehicle examination.
• Senate Bill 633, which would allow a scrap metal operator, under certain circumstances, to purchase older, inoperable motor vehicles or vehicle parts without receiving a title.
• Senate Bill 767, et all, is an omnibus transportation measure that would designate several highways and bridges and create or modify several special license plates in Missouri, including the Navy Cross, Breast Cancer Awareness, Missouri Junior Gold Foundation and the “I Have A Dream” special license plates.
• Senate Bill 626, sponsored by Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, would terminate the manufacturer or remanufacturer’s liability on a product if it is materially altered by a person who is not in the business of selling the product or using it as a component.  However, this legislation does not apply to products that are deemed defective or unsafe.
• Senate Bill 667, sponsored by Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, which would create a peer review process for architects, landscape architects, land surveyors and professional engineers.
• Senate Bill 755, sponsored by the Senate President Pro Tem, which would create the House of Worship Protection Act by making it a crime to disturb a house of worship if a person intentionally and unreasonably disturbs a building used for religious purposes by using profanity, rude or indecent behavior, or making noise within the house of worship or so close to the building that the services are disturbed.
• Senate Bill 769, sponsored by Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit, which would require certain safety markings on anemometer towers — towers that test wind speed.  These specific towers, which would be marked with orange and white stripes on the upper third, include marker balls on each outside guy wire that has a safety sleeve, and have contrasting surrounding vegetation, are located outside of city limits and are 50 feet or taller.

For more information about bills moving through the Missouri Senate and sent to the House of Representatives, visit www.senate.mo.gov.  To contact the Senate Newsroom, call (573) 751-3824 or email: newsroom@senate.mo.gov.