We are only a month away from the start of the 2015 session.
Lawmakers are able to start prefiling bills on July 1, but that legislation does not receive its official bill number until Dec. 1. This year, I have already filed seven different measures that I am hopeful to work on next year.
These bills are:
Senate Bill 12 is a repeat of this year’s House Bill 1326, which was vetoed by the governor. Included in this omnibus agriculture measure is the Missouri Dairy Revitalization Act of 2015, which would require the University of Missouri to conduct research annually on the estimated state sales tax revenue generated from dairy products.
Also, Senate Bill 12 would require all license fees collected by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, under the Missouri Livestock Marketing Law, to not yield revenue greater than the costs of administering the Missouri Livestock Marketing Law during the ensuing year.
Senate Bill 12 would add grain, grain co-products and livestock to the current milk exemption for weight limitations on highways, and apply such exemption to all highways, with the exception of interstates.
Senate Bill 13 seeks to modify the composition of the Career and Technical Education Advisory Council. Instead of the governor appointing the council's current 11 members, the Commissioner of Education would make these appointments.
Senate Bill 14 would require every department and division of the state, including the offices of statewide elected officials, to make available to the public information relating to all contracts entered into for the provision of legal services by outside firms.
Senate Bill 54 specifies that a private nuisance action, where the alleged nuisance emanates from property primarily used for crop or animal production, cannot be brought if the owner of the property is in good faith compliance with any order or permit issued by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the United States Environmental Protection Agency or the Office of the U.S. Attorney General.
Senate Bill 55 states currently, livestock is defined to include buffalo. This act changes the word "buffalo" to "bison.”
Under Senate Bill 56, the Missouri Department of Conservation and its permit-issuing agents would not charge a permit fee for a hunting, fishing or trapping permit — except for a service fee, a customer convenience fee, or a replacement fee — which are each limited to $2 for Missouri residents.
Senate Joint Resolution 1 states currently, four members comprise the Conservation Commission. Upon voter approval, this proposed constitutional amendment would increase the membership to eight and require members to be appointed from each of the eight conservation regions as such regions have been designated as of Dec. 1, 2011. This proposed constitutional amendment would also limit the time a member may serve on the commission to the earlier of either two terms or 12 years.
The next legislative session starts on Jan. 7, 2015. In the meantime, there is still time to go to my Missouri Senate Web page and submit suggestions for legislative or budget suggestions.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office. Thank you. |
