Capitol Report: August 8, 2013

This is the last week of summarizing bills from the 2013 session. The General Assembly will reconvene on September 11 to consider override votes of the bills vetoed by the governor. Here are the bills and actions taken by the governor in July.

Signed into law

* House Bill 103: Among many other provisions, modifies the requirements for commercial drivers licensees related to texting and cell phone use and increases fines for moving violations in active emergency zones.

* House Bill 116: Clarifies and strengthens the authority of the state auditor.

* House Bill 117: Modifies the initiative and referendum petition process through efficiency and public awareness.

* House Bill 128: Authorizes county collectors to send property tax statements electronically, and gives Missouri companies an additional option for calculating taxable income.

* House Bill 142: Among its many provisions related to utilities, encourages energy efficiency and domestic production of cleaner energy by exempting solar panels from certain property taxes.

* House Bill 148: Prevents a military parent's deployment or potential future deployment from being the sole factor to support a permanent modification of an existing child custody or visitation order.

* House Bill 152: Allows school districts to commission school officers to enforce laws at school activities if the school district has a memorandum of understanding with each municipal law enforcement agency and county sheriff's office.

* House Bill 159: Waives the requirement to prove in-district-school residency for a student who is a dependent of a deployed military member, or as a result of deployment, relocates to another school district to live with family.

* House Bill 184: Changes the laws regarding the sales tax on motor vehicles, the transient guest tax in Pettis County, and enhanced enterprise zones, and establishes the Missouri Works Program.

* House Bill 196: Changes the laws regarding unemployment benefits, requires the Department of Economic Development to establish the Missouri Works Training Program, and establishes the Missouri Works Job Training Joint Legislative Oversight Committee.

* House Bill 215: Modifies several areas of law regarding the criminal justice system, including strengthening laws related to domestic violence and sexually violent offenses.

* House Bill 233: Contains administrative language clarifying the law regarding Missouri State Employees' Retirement System (MOSERS) and the MoDOT and Patrol Employees' Retirement System (MPERS).

* House Bill 235: Requires candidates for county treasurer, county collector and county collector-treasurer to provide the election authority with a signed affidavit from a surety company indicating that the candidate meets the minimum bonding requirements for the office.

* House Bill 303: Designates nine memorial highways and bridges including the Missouri portion of the new Mississippi Bridge in St. Louis as the "Stan Musial Memorial Bridge."

* House Bill 322: Allows motor vehicle operators to show proof of automobile insurance using a mobile electronic device (yes, just like the Geico commercial).

* House Bill 331 and House Bill 345: Provides support for a more rapidly deployed broadband and wireless network infrastructure.

* House Bill 351: Requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to review and revise its regulations governing hospital licensure to promote efficiency.

* House Bill 374: Modifies several areas of law regarding the justice system, including establishing a system for reorganization of the state's judicial circuits.

* House Bill 432: Provides explicit statutory authority for the Public Service Commission (PSC) to intervene in federal administrative, regulatory, and judicial hearings on behalf of the state before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

* House Bill 505: Changes the laws regarding child abuse and neglect.

* House Bill 510: Modifies the law related to limited liability companies (LLC).

* House Bill 533: Allows a state employee to keep a firearm in his or her vehicle while on property owned or leased by the state, allows a fire chief to carry a concealed firearm, and expresses the General Assembly's support of responsible gun ownership.

* House Bill 542: (Agriculture omnibus bill) Helps Missouri farmers secure loans. It also includes a provision to help develop Urban Agricultural Zones.

* House Bill 673: Changes the name of Linn State Technical College to the State Technical College of Missouri.

* House Bill 675: Requires the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop guidelines for training school employees in the care needed for students with diabetes.

* House Bill 702: Will help the Missouri State Treasurer in identifying the owners of military medals that are unclaimed. The law permits the Treasurer to make available to the public and veteran service organizations information in order to increase the likelihood the medals will be returned to those who earned them, or their families.

* House Bill 986: Authorizes the Missouri Senior Services Protection fund to support low-income and disabled seniors, while preserving funding for First Steps.

* Senate Bill 1: Modifies the law relating to the Second Injury Fund and occupational disease within the workers' compensation system.

* Senate Bill 17: Modifies several areas of law relating to education, including generating savings for the Public School Retirement System of Missouri by allowing teachers and school employees to retire with less than 30 years of service.

* Senate Bill 23 -- Modifies a number of laws relating to taxation, including extending the definition of "nexus" to level the playing field between Missouri businesses and out-of-state retailers.

* Senate Bill 69: Authorizes Department of Social Services hearing officers to correct or vacate administrative child support decisions and orders.

* Senate Bill 89: Allows a nursing home district to establish and maintain senior housing in a third or fourth classification county and changes the vote total required for passing a nursing home district local bond issue from a two-thirds majority to a constitutionally required percentage of the votes cast.

* Senate Bill 99: Contains several provisions related to elections, including updating and repealing a number of obsolete election statutes.

* Senate Bill 100: Modifies several areas of law relating to judicial procedures, including streamlining the adoption process.

* Senate Bill 106: Requires professional licensing boards or commissions to accept military education, training and service as credit toward licensure requirements; requires health-related professional licensing boards to establish procedures to ensure that active duty members of the armed forces are able to remain in good standing with their professional licensing bodies; and requires public higher education institutions to give credit for courses that are part of a student's military service.

* Senate Bill 116: Incorporates the "Uniformed Military and Overseas Voters Act" to require the Secretary of State to develop an electronic system to facilitate registration and voting by military and overseas voters, and extends the time in which ballots from such voters can be counted.

* Senate Bill 117: Allows veterans who are leaving the military to qualify for lower tuition rates at Missouri public universities and colleges by providing them with resident student status.

* Senate Bill 118: Includes a provision also included in the previously signed House Bill 374 to allow for the establishment of additional veterans' treatment courts in Missouri.

* Senate Bill 125: Eliminate the current requirement that the State Board of Education to wait two years before intervening in a school district.

* Senate Bill 127: Includes advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to the list of professionals eligible for Medicaid reimbursement for prescribing medication and extends health care coverage to children in foster care up to age 26. This

legislation also authorizes a statewide dental delivery system to ensure recipient participation and access to providers of dental services under Medicaid.

* Senate Bill 161: Requires an analysis of cost parity between orally administered cancer medications and their intravenous equivalent and health coverage for eating disorders.

* Senate Bill 186: Contains the language on returning medals and also allows funeral homes to release the cremated remains of a veteran when there is no identified next-of-kin, and the notice provision is met.

* Senate Bill 188: Allows local law enforcement in the county where a Sexually Violent Predator facility is located, upon their request, to be granted access by Department of Corrections to GPS monitoring of any Sexually Violent Predator granted conditional release into the county where the facility is located.

* Senate Bill 230: Establishes Chloe's Law which requires newborn screenings for critical congenital heart disease.

* Senate Bill 248 and House Bill 175: Strengthens existing laws protecting property owners from predatory lenders.

* Senate Bill 251: Increases penalties for public assistance fraud and prohibits the use of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds at liquor stores, casinos and adult entertainment establishments.

* Senate Bill 252: Prohibits the scanning and retaining of certain source documents involved in the issuance of a driver or non-driver license, among other provisions.

* Senate Bill 254: Modifies certain provisions of line of credit loans.

* Senate Bill 256: Modifies provisions relating to child abuse and neglect including the Safe Place for Newborns Act.

* Senate Bill 258: Changes the makeup of the Kansas City School Board from nine members to seven members to align with other local school boards across the state.

* Senate Bill 262: An omnibus insurance bill that contains a number of provisions relating to health care.

* Senate Bill 381: Officially defines in state statute an Innovation Campus as an educational partnership comprised of one or more Missouri public community colleges or Linn State Technical College; one or more Missouri public or private four-year institutions of higher education; one or more Missouri high schools or K-12 education districts; and at least one Missouri-based business.

* Senate Bill 330: Provides flexibility in collaborative practice arrangements by allowing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to continue providing care for up to 28 days at independent rural health clinics, provider-based rural health clinics, and rural health clinics when the collaborating physician is more than 50 miles away.

* Senate Bill 327: Authorizes county commissions to cover the costs of providing electronic monitoring to certain criminal defendants.

Vetoed

* House Bill 110: Changes the laws regarding elections for vacancies in statewide offices, elimination of certain primary elections in third class cities, the date of the presidential primary, and the automatic recount of votes.

* House Bill 170: Specifies that a federal official must not enforce a federal firearm law when the firearm is manufactured and remains in the state and that any new federal law banning or restricting ownership of a semi-automatic firearm is unenforceable.

* House Bill 278: Prohibits any state or local governmental entity; public building, park, or school; or public setting or place from banning or restricting the practice, mention, celebration, or discussion of any federal holiday.

* House Bill 301: Changes the laws regarding certain sexual offenses and sexually violent offenders and establishes a prisoner re-entry program for certain offenders.

* House Bill 329: Changes the laws regarding financial institutions.

* House Bill 339: Requires uninsured motorists to forfeit recovery of noneconomic damages under certain circumstances.

* House Bill 436: Establishes the Second Amendment Preservation Act to protect against federal acts that infringe on a Missouri citizen's rights under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

* House Bill 611: Changes the laws regarding employment.

* House Bill 650: Changes the laws regarding the Department of Natural Resources, along with language that would cap punitive damages for Doe Run Company -- a lead-producing corporation in Missouri.

* House Bill 1035: Changes the laws regarding amended property tax rate filings with the Office of the State Auditor and repeals the expiration date of the provision requiring certain counties and the City of St. Louis to deduct a percentage of property taxes collections for assessment costs.

* Senate Bill 9: Modifies provisions related to agriculture.

* Senate Bill 28: Redefines "misconduct" and "good cause" for the purposes of disqualification from unemployment benefits.

* Senate Bill 34: Requires the Division of Workers' Compensation to develop and maintain a workers' compensation claims database and modifies provisions relating to experience ratings for workers' compensation insurance.

* Senate Bill 43: Would have officially designated a portion of Interstate 70 in Montgomery County as "Graham's Picnic Rock Highway." The referenced rock, visible in the median of the interstate, is also known as "Slave Rock" because of the widely held belief that slave auctions occurred at the site.

* Senate Bill 73: Modifies provisions relating to the judicial process, including provisions relating to motorcycle brake lights.

* Senate Bill 77: Allows for certain neighborhood youth development programs to be exempt from child care licensing requirements.

* Senate Bill 110: Establishes procedures to follow in child custody and visitation cases for military personnel.

* Senate Bill 129: Establishes the Volunteer Health Services Act to allow for licensed health care professionals to provide volunteer services for a sponsoring organization.

* Senate Bill 240: Requires the Public Service Commission to specify in its decisions the annual amount of net write-off incurred by a gas corporation.

* Senate Bill 265: Prohibits the state and political subdivisions from implementing policies affecting property rights and from entering into certain relationships with organizations.

* Senate Bill 224: Modifies provisions relating to crimes and law enforcement officers and agencies

* Senate Bill 342: Modifies provisions related to agriculture.

Made law without a signature

* House Bill 34: Changes the calculation for prevailing wages in 94 counties in Missouri.

* House Bill 400: Establishes new requirements regarding distribution of RU-486.

* House Bill 446: Prohibits any local law or ordinance regulating the enforcement and servicing of real estate loans.

* Senate Bill 236: Relates to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's motor vehicle, aircraft and watercraft revolving fund.

Missouri State Fair

The Missouri State Fair begins today. Please attend our state showcase which is open for 10 days. Grandstand events, shows, and numerous others activities are available. Please see the schedule at:

www.mostatefair.com

It is an honor to serve the 51st District in the Missouri House of Representatives. Each week I will issue a capitol report to keep you informed of activities in Jefferson City. Any concerns or issues you might have are of great interest to me. I look forward to your input and thoughts, so please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions, concerns, or ideas to improve our state government and the quality of life for all Missourians. My telephone number is 573-751-2204 or you may contact me by email at dean.dohrman@house.mo.gov. Thank you for working me to make Missouri a great place to live.