Senate Tackles Wide Range of Issues Following Return from Spring Recess
Fresh off the annual legislative spring recess and the Easter holiday, my Senate colleagues and I returned to the Capitol on Tuesday, ready to tackle the second half of session. With hundreds of bills still making their way through the process, committee work moving full steam ahead and the state budget now in the Senate’s hands, there is plenty to keep us busy and a lot of long days and nights ahead of us.
On Thursday, we passed Senate Bill 844, relating to livestock trespass liability. Currently, if any horses, cattle or other livestock break through a fence or trespass onto another’s property, the owner of such animal is strictly liable for damages sustained by the animal to another’s property. Under this act, the owner of such animal would only be liable for damages sustained to another’s property if the animal owner was negligent. For example, if someone runs through your fence, your livestock gets out and then damages a neighbor’s property, you would not be held liable for the damage. You would only be liable if your negligence led to another’s property damage.
We also advanced Senate Bill 786 to the House for further consideration. The measure will allow the Secretary of State, the state’s top election authority, to investigate voter fraud cases and issue a probable cause statement in voter fraud cases if a local prosecutor is unable to do so. The ability to prosecute voter fraud cases will remain with the local prosecuting attorney, but the prosecuting attorney will now have the option to appoint the Secretary of State as a special prosecutor.
We always hear how there is little to no proof voter fraud exists, but the reason there is not any proof may very well stem from the fact that voter fraud cases often get left to the wayside — especially in counties where resources are stretched thin and other crimes, such as violent crimes, almost always take precedence.
Finally, I’m very pleased to report that the Senate voted today to pass legislation I sponsored that will bring Missouri’s professional licensure system into the 21st century. In 2013, state lawmakers approved a new licensure system for all licensees within the Division of Professional Registration; however, a number of current statutory impediments must first be addressed before the new system can effectively serve the 430,000 professionals licensed in Missouri.
If signed into law, Senate Bill 831 will allow licensed professionals to fulfill many of their licensure-related requirements online, including: applying for licensure or renewing a license, paying fees, requesting extensions for completing continuing education requirements and notifying their license-granting board or commission of any name or address changes, among other items. In addition, employers will be able to verify licenses, and the public will be able to report any problems they may have with a licensed professional.
If you have any questions or comments about this or any other matter regarding your state government, please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-1503; you are also welcome to e-mail me at jay.wasson@senate.mo.gov.
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