JEFFERSON CITY — Approximately 85 Senate bills were truly agreed to and finally passed during the 2014 regular legislative session.  Of those measures, 60 were signed by the governor, 22 received the governor’s veto, three were allowed to lapse into law, and another was overridden by the General Assembly (one of the 22 that received his veto).

Many of the measures signed into law this year relate to education, family support, public health, and social services.  Those  include:

• Senate Bill 492, sponsored by Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, creates a performance-based funding model for public colleges and universities in Missouri.
• Senate Bill 532, sponsored by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, allows relative caregivers to consent to medical and educational services to a minor under certain circumstances.
• Senate Bill 567, sponsored by Sen. Mariah Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, requires uniformity across the state regarding adult day care operations, institutes a standard for meningitis vaccinations, and requires hospitals to offer the flu shot to certain patients before they are discharged.
• Senate Bill 600, sponsored by Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, changes provisions regarding license plates honoring veterans, expands and creates medallion programs to recognize veterans’ service, and requires schools to conduct educational programs and activities as part of their Veterans Day celebrations.
• Senate Bill 601, sponsored by Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, reauthorizes a deduction for energy efficiency audits and projects for the 2014-2020 tax years.
• Senate Bill 635, sponsored by Sen. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, addresses the “Border War” between the Sunflower and Show-Me states by prohibiting certain incentives to be used to help businesses relocate from certain counties in Kansas and businesses move from certain counties in Missouri if Kansas enacts a similar policy.
• Other measures pertaining to public health were Senate Bill 639, sponsored by Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla, which requires facilities that perform mammograms to provide additional information to patients if their results demonstrate dense breast tissue, and Senate Bill 668, sponsored by Sen. Silvey, which requires equal out-of-pocket costs for covered oral and IV chemotherapy medications.
• Senate Bill 680, sponsored by Sen. Shalonn “Kiki” Curls, D-Kansas City, repeals the lifetime ban from food stamp assistance in Missouri for those who have a drug felony conviction, among other provisions. 
• Senate Bill 723, sponsored by Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, raises the cap on the amount of revenue bonds that may be issued and limits the use of these funds for the renovation of existing buildings. 
• Senate Bill 892, sponsored by Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit, changes Missouri’s presidential primary from February to March, making the next presidential primary held on March 16, 2016.

In addition, legislation relating to Missouri students, weapons, unemployment benefits, alternative nicotine or vapor products, and various tax exemptions received the governor’s veto.  Those include:

• The General Assembly’s answer to the school accreditation and student transfer struggles in various parts of the state (Senate Bill 493, sponsored by Sen. Pearce);

• An omnibus agriculture measure that would have added captive deer to the definition of livestock in the state, among other provisions (Senate Bill 506, sponsored by Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown);
• Legislation that addresses open-carry ordinances, school protection officers, health care professionals and firearms, and the unlawful use of weapons (Senate Bill 656, sponsored by Sen. Kraus);
• A measure that would have directly correlated Missouri’s unemployment rate with the number of weeks available to receive unemployment benefits and modified the method the state pays back the federal government (Senate Bill 673, sponsored by Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City);  
• A bill changing various provisions within the payday loan industry (Senate Bill 694, sponsored by Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville);
• Legislation that would have prohibited the sale of alternative nicotine or vapor products, such as electronic cigarettes, to those under the age of 18, among other provisions (Senate Bill 841, sponsored by Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa); and
• A bill that would have provided a sales and use tax exemption for certain items sold at farmers’ markets (Senate Bill 727, sponsored by Sen. Chappelle-Nadal).

Three bills were allowed to lapse into law pursuant to Article III, Section 31, of the Missouri Constitution:  Senate Bill 491, sponsored by Senate Minority Floor Leader Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, was a result of the General Assembly’s work to overhaul the state’s criminal code; Senate Bill 510, sponsored by Sen. Kraus, redefines “misconduct” and “good cause” for the purpose of disqualification from unemployment benefits; and Senate Bill 741, sponsored by Sen. Parson, allows gaming establishments to provide lines of credit to certain individuals.

Before conclusion of the 2014 session, lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto on Senate Bills 509 & 496, sponsored by Sen. Kraus.  The legislation institutes a gradual .5 percent tax cut for individuals and a 25 percent deduction on income for small businesses.  These tax cuts will not take effect until 2017 and only apply if Missouri’s general revenue grows more than $150 million over the highest of the three previous tax years.  In addition, individual income tax brackets will be adjusted each year based on the percentage of increase in inflation, and for those individuals with a Missouri adjusted gross income of less than $20,000, the bill increases their personal income tax exemption by $500.

While lawmakers had the opportunity to veto certain legislation passed before the final weeks of session, the mid-September annual veto session will provide legislators the chance to bring up and override the governor’s veto on measures that did not garner his stamp of approval. 

To see a complete list of truly agreed to and finally passed measures for the 2014 legislative session and the governor’s action on those bills, visit www.senate.mo.gov.