JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s Constitution (Article III, Section 29) states that no law passed by the Missouri General Assembly, except appropriations measures or bills containing an emergency clause, can take effect until 90 days after the Legislature constitutionally adjourns. Most of the bills passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor, or allowed to lapse into law, took effect on Aug. 28, 2015. 

Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Senate Bill 12 modifies provisions relating to agriculture, including: urban agricultural zones; the Beef Commodity Merchandising Program; certified commercial pesticide applicators; weight limitations on vehicles hauling milk and livestock; fuel labeling; foreign ownership of agricultural land; and livestock activity waiver of liability. The measure was sponsored by Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown.

Senate Bill 500 modifies provisions relating to agriculture, and was sponsored by Sen. Jeanie Riddle, R-Callaway County. Currently, sellers of jams, jellies and honey — whose annual sales are $30,000 or less per household — are exempt from the requirement to maintain separate facilities for the manufacture of such items. This new law removes jams and jellies from this provision and increases the annual sales level required to maintain separate facilities for the bottling of honey to $50,000.

House Bill 259 establishes the Missouri Dairy Revitalization Act of 2015, and was handled by Sen. Munzlinger.

Appropriations

Senate Bill 210 extends the sunset on certain health care provider reimbursement allowance taxes and modifies provisions relating to MO HealthNet and Disproportionate Share Hospital payments. The measure was sponsored by Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia.

Click here for This Week in the Missouri Senate from July 10, 2015, to learn more about Senate Bill 210.

House Bill 384 changes the laws regarding taxation, and was handled by Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield.

Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment

Senate Bill 445, sponsored by Sen. Gary Romine, R-Farmington, requires owners of a coal-fired electric generating source to develop an ambient air quality monitoring or modeling network.

Senate Bill 456 modifies provisions relating to the ownership of motor vehicles, and was sponsored by Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City.

House Bill 92 changes laws relating to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and was also handled by Sen. Kehoe.

House Bill 531 requires liquid nicotine products to be sold in child-safe packaging, and was handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Riddle.

Education

Senate Bill 93, sponsored by Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, creates the Campus Free Expression Act to protect free expression on the campuses of public institutions of higher education.

Senate Bill 116, sponsored by Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit, creates an exemption from the proof of residency and domicile for school registration for students whose parents are stationed out of state.

Senate Bill 334 modifies provisions relating to the boards of regents of state colleges and universities and broadens the degree-granting authority of Harris-Stowe State University. The measure was sponsored by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis.

Senate Bill 366, sponsored by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, modifies the provisions of the Missouri higher education savings program.

House Bill 41 removes portions of the school funding formula that are no longer relevant, due to the passage of time. The measure was handled by Sen. Kehoe.

Financial & Governmental Organizations and Elections

Senate Bill 34 extends voter registration requirements, and was sponsored by Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau. This new law allows covered voters who have been discharged from military service, have returned from military deployment or activation, or have separated from employment outside of the United States — after the voter registration deadline — to register to vote in person until 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before an election. An election authority may accept an application for a military-overseas ballot if received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before an election if the authority determines that circumstances warrant such acceptance.

Senate Bill 104 requires actions challenging initiatives and referendums to be fully adjudicated more than 56 days prior to the election in which the measure will appear on the ballot, and was sponsored by Sen. Kraus.

Senate Bill 107 authorizes certain boards and commissions, under the Missouri Division of Professional Registration, to issue opinions for educational purposes and modifies laws relating to speech-language pathologists and audiologists. The measure was sponsored by Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville.

Senate Bill 524 changes provisions relating to contractual fees charged by certain financial institutions, and was sponsored by Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville.

House Bill 385, handled in the Missouri Senate by Sen. Schaefer, defines "correspondence" with regard to real estate brokers. "Correspondence" is defined as any written or electronic communication, but must exclude any text message, instant message and any other information or communication that is not designed to be retained or create a permanent record for use in any transaction calculated or intended to result in the sale, exchange, leasing, or rental of real estate.

House Bill 587 modifies provisions relating to licensing fees paid to the Missouri Division of Finance by entities and persons licensed under the Missouri Sale of Checks Law, credit service organizations and consumer credit lenders. This measure was handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa.

House Bill 1052 modifies provisions relating to land surveyors. This measure was also handled by Sen. Wasson. This bill removes from the description of the practice of a professional land surveyor work which involves the survey of easements. The survey and location of rights-of-way are not exclusive to professional land surveyors unless the survey affects real property rights as defined in current law.

General Laws and Pensions

House Bill 88 designates July 3 of each year as “Organ Donor Recognition Day.” The measure was handled by Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors.

House Bill 361 designates the third week of February as “Engineer Awareness Week in Missouri.” The measure was handled by Sen. Riddle.

House Bill 400 designates the month of November, each year, as “Epilepsy Awareness Month.” The measure was handled by Sen. Walsh.

House Bill 402 designates the first, full week before Memorial Day as “Safe Boating Week.” The measure was handled by Sen. Sater.

House Bill 403 designates Missouri as a Purple Heart state. The measure was also handled by Sen. Sater.

House Bill 404 designates the week in which May 15 falls as “Missouri Peace Officers Memorial Week.” The measure was handled by Sen. Sater.

House Bill 515 changes the laws regarding the Police Retirement System of the City of St. Louis, the Police Retirement System of Kansas City, the Civilian Employees' Retirement System of the Police Department of Kansas City and the Employees Retirement System of the City of St. Louis. It was handled by Senate Minority Floor Leader Joseph Keaveny, D-St. Louis.

House Bill 567 designates Dec. 4 as "Alpha Phi Alpha Day" in Missouri, in honor of the first black intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-Americans. The measure was handled by Sen. Shalonn “Kiki” Curls, D-Kansas City.

House Bill 778 designates the 22nd week of each year as “22q Awareness Week.” This measure was handled by Sen. Romine.

House Bill 859 designates April 15 of each year as “Jackie Robinson Day” in Missouri. This measures was handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Curls.

House Bill 861 designates the first full week in March as “Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.” The measure was handled by Sen. Wasson.

House Bill 874 designates Oct. 16 of each year as "Walt Disney - A Day to Dream Day" in Missouri. The measure was handled by Sen. Munzlinger.

House Bill 1116 designates May 7 as “ROHHAD Awareness Day” in Missouri. The measure was handled by Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff.

House Bill 1119 designates the second Monday in April as “Missouri Lineworker Appreciation Day.” The measure was handled by Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby.

Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight

Senate Bill 58, which was sponsored by Sen. Dixon, modifies and repeals a number of existing, expired or obsolete committees.

Senate Bill 435 allows the governor to convey the state's interest in specified property owned by the state in St. Louis County to the county, and was sponsored by Sen. Walsh.

There was one measure that became law without the governor’s signature this year, which is allowed in the Missouri Constitution, under Article III, Section 31. House Bill 137 changes the laws regarding competitive bidding for a contract license office. The new law was handled by Sen. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, in the upper chamber. With its emergency clause, House Bill 137 took effect on July 14.

House Bill 947 authorizes the governor to convey certain state property in Greene, Jackson, Shannon and Vernon counties. The measure was handled by Sen. Wallingford.

Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government

Senate Bill 5 modifies distribution of traffic fines and court costs collected by municipal courts. According to Sen. Schmitt, this new law was set about — in part — because of a shooting in Ferguson in August 2014.

The main point of Senate Bill 5 updates what is known as the “Macks Creek Law,” which has been around for several years in Missouri. Macks Creek is a small town that once made most of its revenue from issuing traffic tickets. This new law replaces the restrictions on annual general operating revenue from traffic fines. The limit on annual general operating revenue from traffic fines to be reduced from 30- to 20 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2016. St. Louis County and municipalities within that county will be restricted to 12.5 percent of annual general operating revenue from traffic fines.

In addition to a reduction in how much of a municipality’s budget may come from traffic fines, the bill also requires all St. Louis County municipalities to meet minimum standards, including a balanced annual budget, police department accreditation, access to a complete set of ordinances and other measures to reform local government.

Also, municipalities that do not remit excess revenue they have collected from traffic tickets to the county schools will face a disincorporation question on the next general election ballot. Residents of the municipality violating the law will be given a say as to whether or not the city should continue to be in existence. In other words, if a St. Louis County municipality funds more than 12.5 percent of its budget from traffic tickets and does not hand over the excess to local schools, its residents will decide if the city should continue.

Click here for This Week in the Missouri Senate from July 17, 2015, to learn more about Senate Bill 5.

House Bill 125 and Senate Bill 68, sponsored by Sen. Romine, allows board members of municipal industrial development corporations in St. Francois County to live outside the city limits of the municipality, as long as they are taxpayers and voters in the county.

Senate Bill 87, sponsored by Sen. Emery, requires that a petitioner for a state audit of a political subdivision reside or own real property within that subdivision.

Senate Bill 194, sponsored by Senate Majority Floor Leader Ron Richard, R-Joplin, extends the date that a business must commence operations to qualify for a business facility tax credit.

Senate Bill 405 raises the outer threshold amount for a county to be eligible to collect a greater percentage of the total taxes collected as a fee, and was sponsored by Sen. Hegeman.

Senate Bill 497, which modifies provisions relating to special purpose districts, was also sponsored by Sen. Hegeman.

Senate Bill 539, which grants authority for a county commission or a designated county officer of its choosing, to provide passport services when the circuit clerk declines to do so, and was sponsored by Sen. Brown.

House Bill 125 specifies that the directors of any industrial development corporation formed by a municipality in St. Francois County may be taxpayers and registered voters in the county. The measure was handled by Sen. Romine.

House Bill 511 adds a provision relating to annexation of property approved by a majority of the property owners. The measure was handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan.

House Bill 514 authorizes tax increment financing, not to exceed $4 million per year, for the redevelopment of a former automobile manufacturing plant or a former insurance company national service center located in St. Louis County. The measure was handled by Sen. Schmitt.

House Bill 613 changes the laws regarding the collection of property taxes, and was handled by Sen. Parson.

House Bill 616 specifies that all merchandise or equipment held by a rental company and available for short-term rentals of less than 365 consecutive days that will subsequently or ultimately be sold must be considered inventory and exempt from property taxes. The measure was handled by Sen. Kraus.

Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence

Senate Bill 141, sponsored by Sen. Parson, raises the amount the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund can pay to eligible victims and provides that the Missouri Department of Public Safety can negotiate costs on behalf of victims.

Senate Bill 321, which allows victims of sexual assault to receive protective orders and modifies the definitions of sexual assault and stalking as they relate to orders of protection, was sponsored by Sen. Hegeman.

Senate Bill 340 changes an intersectional reference to the statute that provides the time period that a will must be presented before a person can file a petition in the probate division for the administration of an estate to determine the heirs when administration of the estate has not commenced and no written will of the decedent presented. The measure was sponsored by Sen. Pearce.

Seniors, Families and Children

Senate Bill 24 modifies provisions of law relating to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and was sponsored by Sen. Sater.

Senate Bill 174 establishes the Missouri Achieving a Better Life Experience Program, and was sponsored by Sen. Schmitt.

Senate Bill 244, also sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, creates the Senior Savings Protection Act. This new law permits certain individuals to report the occurrence or suspected occurrence of financial exploitation of qualified adults; defines qualified adult as a person who is either 60 years of age or older, or has a disability — as defined under current law — and is between the ages of 18 and 59; and permits certain individuals to notify an immediate family member, legal guardian, conservator, co-trustee, successor trustee or agent under power of attorney of the qualified adult if they are of the belief that the qualified adult is — or may become — a victim of financial exploitation.

Click here to listen to This Week in the Missouri Senate, from June 19, to hear more about Senate Bill 244.

Senate Bill 341 establishes procedures for reports of juveniles with problem sexual behavior, and was sponsored by Sen. Riddle.

House Bill 343 establishes a committee to assess the continuation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program, in order to help disabled or aging individuals transition from nursing facilities to community settings. The measure was handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Wieland.

House Bill 501 requires course materials relating to sexual education to contain information regarding sexual predators, online predators and the consequences of inappropriate text messaging. The measure was handled by Sen. Brown.

House Bill 1149 modifies provisions related to the Missouri Division of Youth Services. The new law defines "youth" as it applies to the provisions regarding the division as a person under 21 years of age committed to the custody of the division. The measure was handled by Sen. Romine.

Small Business, Insurance and Industry

Senate Bill 145 requires health benefit plans cover diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders. Senator Pearce sponsored the proposal, which requires health benefit plans, for coverage of mental health disorders, to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders, and requires that the provided coverage include a broad array of specialist services as proscribed as necessary by the patient's treatment team. Coverage under this new law is limited to medically necessary treatment and the treatment plan must include all elements necessary for a health benefit plan to pay claims.

Click here to listen to This Week in the Missouri Senate from Aug. 20, 2015, to learn more about Senate Bill 145.

Senate Bill 164, sponsored by Sen. Scott Sifton, D-Affton, will exempt in bankruptcy proceedings life insurance proceeds for the burial of a family member, modify insurance foreign investment limits, change the requirements for the valuation of reserves for life insurance and modify provisions regarding qualified spousal trusts.

Click here to listen to This Week in the Missouri Senate from Aug. 6, 2015, to learn more about Senate Bill 164.

Senate Bill 239 creates a statutory cause of action for damages against health care providers, and was sponsored by Sen. Brown.

Senate Bill 354 allows the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to supply qualifying individuals with amino acid-based elemental formulas, and was sponsored by Sen. Sater.

Senate Bill 392 modifies which members of fraternal benefit societies are exempt from insurance agent licensing, and was sponsored by Sen. Wieland.

House Bill 50 will change the requirements for disclosure of information regarding insurance holding companies. Some provisions contained within this won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2016. The measure was handled by Sen. Parson.

House Bill 391 changes the notice requirements for automobile insurance cancellations or refusals. This bill requires any insurer canceling, refusing to renew, or refusing to write a policy of automobile insurance to send written notice by United States Postal Service (USPS) certificate of mailing, first class mail using Intelligent Mail barcode or another mail tracking method used, approved or accepted by the USPS. This measure was also handled by Sen. Parson.

House Bill 709 allows the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration to issue bulletins and no-action letters addressing the business of insurance in the state. House Bill 709 was handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Parson.

Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety

Senate Bill 156 designates certain highways and bridges in the state, and was sponsored by Sen. Nasheed.

Senate Bill 166 changes the name of the "I Have a Dream" specialty license plate to the "Dare to Dream" specialty license plate, and was also sponsored by Sen. Nasheed.

Senate Bill 231 modifies provisions relating to watercraft, and was sponsored by Sen. Kehoe.

Senate Bill 254, sponsored by Sen. Kraus, modifies provisions relating to motor vehicle license plates.

Senate Bill 272 changes laws regarding motor vehicle height and weight limits in certain city commercial zones. This measure was sponsored by Sen. Riddle. This new law adds Boone County to the municipal commercial zone previously defined for the city of Columbia.

Senate Bill 317, sponsored by Sen. Brown, allows the governor to convey properties located in Pulaski County, Christian County, St. Charles County and St. Louis County to the State Highways and Transportation Commission.

Senate Bill 318 designates the “Billy Yates Highway” in Ripley County. This measure was sponsored by Sen. Cunningham.

Senate Bill 373 creates the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control Fund for the enforcement of liquor and tobacco laws and directs fees from liquor licenses and permits to the fund. It was sponsored by Sen. Libla.

Senate Bill 474, sponsored by Sen. Wallingford, expands the “Heroes Way Interchange Designation Program.”

House Bill 179 allows a retired military member to provide a Veterans' Identification Card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in order to receive a veteran designation on his or her driver's license, and was handled by Sen. Brown.

House Bill 269 requires motorboats to carry two B1 type fire extinguishers, one B2 fire extinguisher, or a fixed fire extinguisher and one B1 type fire extinguisher. This measure was handled by Sen. Kehoe.

House Bill 522 changes the laws regarding bridge and highway designations, and was handled by Sen. Libla.

House Bill 524 allows the director of the Missouri Department of Revenue to adopt rules and regulations allowing specified motor vehicle or trailer lienholders to electronically release a lien. The measure was handled by Sen. Cunningham.

House Bill 650 will allow a motorcycle to be equipped with — and an operator of a motorcycle to use — auxiliary lighting that is amber and white, standard bulb running lights or light-emitting diode pods and strips while operating a motorcycle. The lighting must be non-flashing, non-blinking, non-oscillating and directed toward the engine and drive train of the motorcycle to prevent interference with the motorcyclist's operation of the motorcycle. This measure was handled by Sen. Schaefer.

House Bill 686 modifies provisions relating to junking certificates for motor vehicles, and was handled by Sen. Schatz.

House Bill 869 changes the laws regarding taxation on motor vehicles, and was also handled by Sen. Schatz.

Veterans’ Affairs and Health

Senate Bill 426 allows community mental health liaisons to access specified confidential records maintained by specified institutions, and was sponsored by Sen. Parson.

House Bill 769 allows for direct primary health care services to be provided through a medical retainer agreement between the physician and patient, and was sponsored by Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis.

House Bill 1070 establishes the Office of Military Advocate in Missouri, and was handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Brown.

Ways and Means

Senate Bill 18, which requires the Missouri Department of Revenue to notify sellers if there is a change in sales tax law interpretation, was sponsored by Sen. Kraus.

Senate Bill 19 creates a new method of allocating corporate income between states for tax purposes, and was also sponsored by Sen. Kraus.

Senate Bill 149 creates state and local sales and use tax exemptions for data storage centers and allows municipalities to enter into loan agreements, or sell, lease or mortgage municipal property for a technology business facility project. This measure was sponsored by Sen. Parson.

Senate Bill 190 removes the expiration of the Kansas City transportation sales tax and modifies provisions relating to audits of transportation development districts, and was sponsored by Sen. Curls.

Senate Bill 336 modifies provisions relating to income tax withholdings on employee's tips, and was sponsored by Sen. Kraus.

Senate Bill 463 extends the sunset on the Residential Treatment Agency Tax Credit and the Developmental Disability Care Provider Tax Credit to the year 2027, and was sponsored by Sen. Dixon.

House Bill 111 changes the laws regarding the sales tax on manufactured homes, and was handled by Sen. Cunningham.

House Bill 517 changes laws regarding taxation, and was handled by Sen. Kraus.

Vetoed Legislation in 2015

June saw the most talked about bills of the First Regular Session of the 98th General Assembly receive vetoes. House Bill 116 & 569 was given the “thumbs down” by the executive branch on June 4. The goal of the legislation, also known as Right-to-Work, was to prohibit an employer from requiring a person to become a member of a labor organization as a condition or continuation of employment. The measure was handled in the upper chamber by Sen. Brown.

In his veto letter, the governor called House Bill 116 & 569 bad for our economy and claimed it would constitute unwarranted governmental interference into the operation of Missouri businesses and would expose businesses to criminal prosecution and unlimited civil liability.

House Bill 116 & 569 was ushered through and passed by the Missouri Senate during the last week of the regular session.

Click here to listen to This Week in the Missouri Senate, from June 12, 2015, to hear more about the veto of House Bill 116 & 569.

House Bill 42 was vetoed on June 26. Commonly referred to as the student transfer bill, this measure would have established a system of school accreditation by building, rather than by district, and established standards for student transfers. The measure was handled by Sen. Pearce.

The governor, in his veto letter, claims House Bill 42 mandated expensive experiments, neglected accountability and evaded the major, underlying difficulties in the transfer law. He goes on to say this measure would have introduced private vouchers for virtual schools, and calls that unacceptable.

Senate Bill 345, which would have increased fees imposed by the director of the Missouri Division of Finance, and sponsored by Sen. Wasson; handled in the Missouri Senate by Sen. Silvey, House Bill 629, which sought to change the laws regarding public retirement systems; and House Bill 1098, which would have changed the laws regarding trust companies, and handled by Sen. Kraus, were all vetoed on July 7.

July 10 saw more legislation fall victim to the executive branch and its veto pen. Senate Bill 20 — sponsored by Sen. Kraus — would have created a sales and use tax exemption for materials and utilities used by commercial laundries; sponsored by Sen. Cunningham, Senate Bill 67 would have authorized certain court surcharges, Buchanan County to establish a county municipal court, certain circuits with a SORTS facility to appoint a court marshal, required certain reporting regarding municipal courts and modified procedure in landlord tenant cases; Senate Bill 142, sponsored by Sen. Romine, would have required the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to take certain actions when submitting plans to the Environmental Protection Agency.

On July 11, Senate Bill 224 was vetoed. Sponsored by Sen. Romine, this measure would have required a student to be a United States citizen, or permanent resident, in order to be eligible to receive reimbursements from the A+ Schools Program.

The annual veto session will be held on Sept. 16, 2015. A two-thirds majority is required to undo a veto, which equals 23 Missouri Senate and 109 Missouri House votes.

Committee Hearings Held During August

Senate Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life

The Senate Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life has now met three times, once in July and twice in August. After several videos were made public — all of which are said to include people either connected with, or who work directly for, Planned Parenthood — public outcry began. This prompted Missouri senators to step in and form a group whose task it is to find out if these videos are accurate, see what — if any — state laws have been broken and/or to determine if any state funding has gone to Planned Parenthood’s operations in the Show-Me State.

The panel consists of eight Missouri senators: Sen. Schaefer, who is the chair; Sen. Sater, who is vice-chair; Sen. Kehoe; Sen. Onder; Sen. Riddle; Sen. Schmitt; Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City; and Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur.

The committee has five tasks: Conduct an in-depth analysis of the Planned Parenthood business model and the methods by which they dispose of human remains from aborted fetuses; investigate into whether Planned Parenthood, and any of its affiliates or associates, is or has engaged in activity contrary to the laws of this state; determine whether any state dollars have been directly used in such activity or used in a manner to offset expenses so that Planned Parenthood and any of its affiliates and associates might engage in such activities; investigate whether any person, past or present, employed by the State of Missouri had any prior knowledge of any such alleged activity or misuse of state funds; and examine and investigate any other issues the committee deems relevant to the allegations brought forth against Planned Parenthood.

More hearings are expected to be scheduled very soon, and Sen. Schaefer has also mentioned he would like to hold some of these public hearings around the state.

The Senate Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life will deliver its final report to the full Missouri General Assembly by Dec. 1, 2015.

Joint Committee on Education

The Joint Committee on Education held a hearing on Aug. 26, 2015, to discuss work done by various work groups in relation to House Bill 1490, which addresses Missouri’s use of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The measure was signed into law last year.

Common Core has been called into question by lawmakers, students and parents over the past few years. The eight work groups were organized and overseen by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Their goal was to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of Common Core, and whether it would be better-served by creating its own set of guidelines, or continue to implement Common Core in its public schools.

The State Board of Education scheduled three public hearings for the groups altogether, with one of those meetings having been held late last year, and the third hearing yet-to-be scheduled. Any revisions recommended by the work groups must be submitted to the board by October 2015.

The information gathered by these work groups and disseminated by the state board may result in future legislation to come from the Missouri General Assembly, perhaps as early as next year.

Click here to listen to This Week in the Missouri Senate from Aug. 28, 2015, to learn more about the Senate Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life and the Joint Committee on Education.
 

To follow these and other issues before the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. Visitors can track legislation considered by the General Assembly during the 2015 session, learn more about their legislative district and listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens on the Senate floor.

The Missouri Senate’s Capitol Briefing is distributed and posted monthly throughout the interim. 

For more legislative news, please visit the Senate newsroom at www.senate.mo.gov/newsroom, where you will find various audio and video programs and other informational services, such as:

This Week in the Missouri Senate – A weekly, audio program that wraps up the week’s news in the Missouri Senate. Programs are posted online every Friday in .mp3 format.
The Senate Minute– A condensed, one-minute audio report of current Senate news. Programs are posted in .mp3 format and are available through podcast.
This Date in Missouri Senate History – A feature that looks back at the impact made by the Missouri Legislature throughout the history of the Show-Me State. This feature is offered on a regular basis.

Daily Audio/Video Clips – Throughout the year, the Senate Newsroom posts broadcast-quality audio and video highlights from Senate committee hearings, floor debate, press conferences and other legislative events. Please note: Clips linked to this Capitol Briefing are only available for the legislative week referenced in the publication.