Jefferson City — This week’s mid-session recess marked the end of the first half of the legislative session. Senators are spending time in their districts until the General Assembly reconvenes for the second half of session next week.
To date, the Senate has given final approval to 54 bills that have passed to the House for consideration. Six more measures have received preliminary approval and await a second Senate vote before moving to the House. Of the 578 Senate bills introduced this session, 149 have been passed by their respective committees thus far.
Several of the bills already approved by the Senate tackle the issues that were anticipated to be hot-button topics prior to the start of session. One such bill is Senate Bill 711, the property tax reform legislation sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons (R-Kirkwood). The measure protects Missourians from property tax increases caused by reassessment through the closure of tax increase loopholes. It also requires more information be sent to taxpayers regarding reassessment and property taxes, along with an earlier notice of tax liability. Finally, the bill expands property tax credit program eligibility for seniors and the disabled.
Other bills of note passed by the Senate in the first half of the legislative session include:
- Senate Bill 935, sponsored by Sen. John Griesheimer (R-Washington), increases the salaries of county deputy sheriffs. The supplemental funding for the sheriffs’ salaries would come from a new $10 fee that would be collected for serving civil summonses and other court documents.
- Senate Bill 1038, sponsored by Sen. Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph), repeals campaign finance limits. If the bill is enacted, Missourians will be able to contribute any amount to state political campaigns; however, federal and congressional campaign donation limits would remain the same.
- Senate Bill 765, sponsored by Sen. Jack Goodman (R-Mt. Vernon), repeals the village law that was passed by the Senate as part of an omnibus bill last session. The law, which makes it substantially easier to incorporate a village, has been the subject of controversy because it allows individuals to circumvent voter-approved planning and zoning laws at the county level. Sen. Goodman’s legislation returns the law to its original wording before the changes were made last year.
- Senate Bill 1059, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Engler (R-Farmington), penalizes those who commit mortgage fraud and places sanctions on licensed professionals who deceive their customers. Residential mortgage fraud inflates the actual price of a property so that consumers end up paying more than its true value.
- Senate Bill 720, sponsored by Sen. Maida Coleman (D-St. Louis), creates a hot-weather rule to accompany the cold-weather rule already in existence. The bill prohibits electric or natural gas companies from shutting off service to past-due customers on days when the temperature is forecasted to rise above 95 degrees or the heat index above 105 degrees.
- Senate Bill 762, sponsored by Sen. Yvonne Wilson (D-Kansas City), expands the definition of “bullying” as it is used in school districts’ anti-bullying policies to include cyberbullying and electronic communications.
Looking ahead to the second half of the legislative session, senators will cover a variety of topics that run the gamut from credit report security freezes to autism.
Senate Bill 712, sponsored by Sen. Gibbons and Sen. Scott T. Rupp (R-Wentzville), protects consumers from identity theft by allowing them to request a security “freeze” or lock on their credit file to prevent anyone from trying to receive credit, loans or services in their name. Consumers must give permission to credit reporting agencies before they can release information from consumer credit reports. The legislation also adds new requirements for companies offering merchandise rebates to their customers.
Senate Bill 768, also sponsored by Sen. Gibbons and Sen. Rupp, creates the Missouri Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to advise and make recommendations to the governor, lawmakers and state agencies on matters relating to ASD. The commission would develop a comprehensive statewide plan for a system of training, treatment, and services for individuals with ASD. Members of the commission would include representatives from the General Assembly, various state agencies, other organizations involved with autism, as well as parents and individuals with the disorder.
Legislation to expand eligibility for childcare subsidies is also on the agenda for the second half of session. Senate Bill 776, sponsored by Sen. Jolie Justus (D-Kansas City) and Sen. Chris Koster (D-Harrisonville), increases the household income caps for receiving state assistance for childcare. Missouri currently has the lowest eligibility limit for state childcare subsidies in the entire country at 110 percent of the federal poverty level. A family of four would need to make less than approximately $23,320 per year to qualify for any childcare assistance. Under SB 776, the cap would increase to $29,680, or 140 percent of the federal poverty level. Those with a household income that surpasses that amount would receive reduced subsidy benefits.
Senate Bill 909 creates stricter requirements for petition circulators. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Engler, requires that any person circulating a petition must be a U.S. citizen and Missouri resident and is not allowed to be paid on a per signature basis. Circulators would not be able to receive signatures by mail or via the Internet, or circulate more than one petition at a time. Anyone who has committed forgery would be prohibited from circulating petitions.
Senate Joint Resolution 34 creates an exception to the Missouri Constitution that prohibits laws from being applied retrospectively. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jason Crowell (R-Cape Girardeau) and Sen. Coleman, requires that, upon voter approval, sex offender registry laws would apply retrospectively, requiring sex offenders to comply with the state’s registry laws even if their offense took place prior to the registry laws taking initial effect.
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 Senate district, or listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens.
The Missouri Senate will reconvene at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 25. The Second Regular Session of the 94th Missouri General Assembly will run through Friday, May 16.
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