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JEFFERSON CITY—This Friday, Aug. 28, most of the bills passed during the 2009 legislative session that were not previously enacted will officially become law.
Rather than being just an arbitrary date, Aug. 28 is 90 days after the constitutional end of session—significant because the state constitution requires that no passed bills take effect before 90 days have passed with a few exceptions.
For instance, most budget bills take effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year, or July 1 (unless they are supplemental budget bills for the current fiscal year). Other bills may contain an emergency clause that was attached during passage. When bills are passed with an emergency clause, they usually take effect immediately upon receiving the governor’s signature. In larger bills, some provisions may designate specific enactment dates while others do not. And some bills may assign a different enactment date altogether, such as the beginning of the following year.
Some of the bills set to become law Aug. 28 include:
- FALSE CLAIMS—Unsubstantiated complaints made against licensed social workers and physicians by certain sexually violent predators are to be removed from the respective licensing board’s records. (HB 866, Sen. Jim Lembke, R-St. Louis)
- FEE OFFICES—Competitive bidding will now be required for fee offices that issue driver’s licenses. (HB 381, Sen. Tim Green, D-St. Louis)
- TRANSPORTATION—Changes several laws relating to transportation, including delaying mandatory vehicle inspections for new cars. (HB 683, Sen. Bill Stouffer, R-Stouffer)
- FUNERALS—Strengthens state’s oversight of the prepaid funeral industry. (SB 1, Sen. Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City)
- CRIME—Prohibits drivers 21 and younger from texting while driving (provision added by Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Crystal City); expands the crime of cattle rustling; and adds penalties against owners of dangerous dogs. (HB 62, Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee’s Summit)
- CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN—In certain cases, makes the penalty for child rape life in prison without eligibility for probation, parole or conditional release. (SB 36 , Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mt. Vernon)
- PRIVATE JAILS—Subjects the state’s privately owned jails to the same regulations as public jails, including requiring such facilities to report escapes. (SB 44, Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg)
- COURTS—Makes several changes to the Missouri courts system, including bringing Missouri law into compliance with the Uniform Child Custody and Jurisdiction Act and allowing judges to take reasonable steps to prevent international abductions in child custody cases. (HB 481, Sen. Lembke)
Lawmakers are also preparing for the annual veto session, which requires the Legislature to convene Sept. 16. Both chambers could potentially discuss the bills that were vetoed by the governor this summer, and may vote to overturn any or all of the vetoes.
Twelve Senate bills received a veto and will be returned to the upper chamber with the governor’s objections. Eleven House bills were also vetoed along with line item vetoes in most of the fiscal year 2010 budget bills. A two-thirds vote is required by both the Senate and the House to override a governor’s veto.
Also, the Missouri Senate's Educated Citizenry 2020 Committee held its second meeting this month (Aug. 25), which focused on establishing a vision that will help guide the committee as it develops long-term strategies for improving education in Missouri.
The committee was established this year under Senate Resolution 304 and is responsible for creating long-term plans and strategies for developing an educational system where Missouri students learn to be productive and successful citizens who are prepared for global competition. The committee met to discuss its vision for education in Missouri and the process for developing that vision, the principles and values that will guide the process and the committee’s eventual goals.
Serving on the committee are Sen. David Pearce (R-Warrensburg), chairman, Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield), Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia), Sen. Wes Shoemyer (D-Clarence) and Sen. Robin Wright-Jones (D-St. Louis). The Educated Citizenry 2020 Committee is one of three 2020 Senate committees designed to formulate long-range strategies for some of Missouri’s biggest issues, including job creation (Job Creation 2020 Committee) and expanding health care coverage (Healthy Missourians 2020 Committee).
The Missouri Senate General Column is written on a regular basis. To follow these and other issues being addressed by the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. Visitors can research legislation and learn more about their Senate district and the legislative process. For more legislative news, please visit the Senate Newsroom. There you will find various audio and video programs, such as:
- Missouri Legislative Update (MLU) A video program produced periodically that provides an overview of the news in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives. The program features news interviews with lawmakers and stories on issues concerning Missouri.
- Capital Dialogue Missourinet's Bob Priddy hosts this monthly half-hour roundtable program bringing legislators together from the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives from different political parties to discuss their positions on legislation.
- This Week in the Missouri Senate A weekly five-minute audio program that wraps up the week’s news in the Missouri Senate. Programs are posted online every Friday in .mp3 format. Listeners have the option of subscribing to the program via podcast.
- Senate Minute A condensed, one-minute audio report of current Senate news. Programs are posted in .mp3 format and available through podcast.
- Daily Audio / Video Clips Throughout the year, the Senate Newsroom posts audio and video highlights from Senate committee hearings, floor debate, press conferences and other legislative events.
- Daily News Clips The Senate Newsroom compiles daily news clips on issues relating to the Legislature and state government. An archive of past clips is maintained online.
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