Lone Senate Bill Left to Receive Governor's Approval

JEFFERSON CITY — One Senate bill and two House measures were signed into law today (7-13), leaving just one piece of legislation left on the governor’s desk for executive action.

Senate Bill 469 and House Bill 1135, sponsored and handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, changes provisions in state law that address updating and reviewing administrative rules.  Among other provisions, the legislation requires every state administrative rule to be subject to a periodic review by an appropriate state agency every five years; creates a schedule for this periodic review of rules by their title in the Code of State Regulations; and requires each agency with rules under review to prepare a report with the results of the periodic rule review, considering whether the rule is necessary, obsolete, duplicative, overlaps or conflicts with other state, federal, or local rules, or should be changed, rescinded or eliminated.  Both measures are scheduled to take effect on Aug. 28.

Also receiving the governor’s approval today was House Bill 1608, which received unanimous approval in the Missouri Senate and is also slated to take effect on Aug. 28.  The legislation repeals provisions and sections of Missouri law regarding unfunded and obsolete programs and establishes expiration dates for specified provisions.  In addition, the bill repeals the provisions regarding the requirement that the MO HealthNet Division develop pay-for-performance payment program guidelines.

Tomorrow, July 14, is the deadline for the governor to act on the last measure awaiting his executive approval, Senate Bill 628.  Several provisions included in this omnibus judiciary bill are found in other pieces of legislation that have been previously signed into law this year.  The legislation also includes sections that would require the Joint Committee on Missouri Criminal Code to evaluate which offenses should be removed from the sexual offender registry, add to the crime of sexual misconduct involving a child when a person knowingly coerces or induces a 15-year-old female child to expose herself through the Internet or other electronic means, and change the crime of property damage in the first degree to include when a person knowingly damages a motor vehicle while trying to steal it.  If signed, Senate Bill 628 would take effect on Aug. 28 along with a majority of bills receiving the governor’s approval.

To see a complete list of legislation signed by the governor this year, visit www.senate.mo.gov and click on the “Governor’s Action on Truly Agreed Bills” link under the “Legislation” tab.  To contact the Senate Newsroom, call (573) 751-3824 or email: newsroom@senate.mo.gov.