Capitol Report: June 15, 2017

Tuesday I traveled to the Lake of the Ozarks for the annual Lakeside with the Locators meeting hosted by the Missouri Economic Development Council. This annual event brings economic development professionals from across the state and the country to discuss Missouri’s business environment. It is always a meeting packed with information and a way to let industries and services know that we are open for business! The meeting proved successful, as always, and many of the site locators believe we have improved our competitive position in the mid-continent area. Of course, there is always Texas to compete with, and they are serious! However, Missouri is holding its own and moving ahead. Most of the participants agreed that we must concentrate on job training for the next few years to improve the skill set of our state’s workforce.

Also, this week the special session got underway in the Senate. A package of proposals that will alter state abortion regulations advanced out of committee on day two of the special session. The Seniors, Families and Children Committee endorsed a plan that would overturn an anti-discrimination ordinance put in place by St. Louis aldermen in February. The local ordinance is designed to bar employers and landlords from discriminating against women who have had abortions or plan to undergo one. A second proposal would give the attorney general more power to prosecute violations of abortion-related laws. A third proposal, sponsored by Sen. Bob Onder, would tighten restrictions on clinics and what can be done with fetal tissue.

The legislation moved to the Senate on a party line vote of 4-2. Following the Senate’s action on the legislation, the proposals could be moved to the House by the middle of next week. The governor stated that this special session will ultimately “highlight the crucial and life-saving work of pregnancy care centers around the state and bring Missourians together to celebrate and promote a culture of life.”

Finally as promised, three additional TAFP’d bills are summarized below. More TAFP’d bill summaries will follow in the weeks to come. Finally, before Veto Session in September, the governor’s actions on all bills will be reviewed.

HB 151 (Signed by Governor 06/12/17) - Requires the department of revenue to issue REAL ID compliant driver's licenses unless the applicant requests a license that is not compliant with the REAL ID Act

I traveled to Whiteman Air Force Base Monday to witness the governor’s signing of HB 151, the Real ID option. If you recall, I co-sponsored this bill which requires the Department of Revenue give applicants the option of either a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card or a license or identification card that is not in compliance with the federal REAL ID Act. The department will be required to inform applicants of the differences between the compliant and noncompliant forms of license, specifically that the REAL ID-compliant driver's license or identification card can be used for federal purposes such as commercial domestic air travel and gaining access to military bases and most federal government facilities, while the non- compliant license or card cannot. This law will make entry onto Whiteman Air Force Base much easier, and will ensure that Missourians may continue to fly on commercial carriers.

HB 153 (Signed by Governor 3/28/17) - Modifies provisions relating to expert witnesses

This bill specifies that a witness who is qualified as an expert may testify in the form of an opinion or otherwise if the expert's specialized knowledge will help the juries to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, the testimony is based on sufficient facts or data, the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and the expert has reliably applied the principles and methods to the facts of the case. An expert may base an opinion on facts or data in the case that the expert has been made aware of or personally observed.

If experts in the particular field would reasonably rely on those kinds of facts or data in forming an opinion on the subject, such facts or data need not be admissible for the opinion to be admitted. However, if the facts or data would otherwise be inadmissible, the proponent of the opinion may disclose them to the jury only in certain circumstances. In a criminal case, an expert witness must not state an opinion about whether the defendant did or did not have a mental state or condition that constitutes an element of the crime charged or of a defense.