
Capitol Report: May 31, 2018
Governor Resigns
Late Tuesday afternoon, Missouri Governor Eric Grietens resigned effective Friday, June 1st. As a result, the Special Investigative Committee on Oversight will wrap up its work, and there will no longer be a need for members of the House to consider any potential recommendations from the committee. Once the Governor departs at 5 PM on Friday, Lt. Gov. Mike Parson will then take over as chief executive of the state. The new governor is scheduled to address a joint session of the General Assembly on Monday evening, June 11.
Following the governor’s announcement, House Speaker Todd Richardson, Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr, and Majority Floor Leader Rob Vescovo released a statement saying, “We believe the governor has put the best interest of Missourians first today by choosing to resign. The past few months have been difficult for everyone involved, including the governor and his family. This is a serious and solemn occasion that reminds us that our state and our duty are bigger than any one person or party. As public servants, our solemn duty is to put the best interests of the people of this great state first in every decision we make. The governor’s decision today honors that duty and allows Missouri to move forward toward a better tomorrow.”
In other news, I will continue to summarize Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed (TAFP) bills from this legislative session. All of these bills have been signed and delivered to the governor’s office. Bill review will be one of the first duties of the new governor.
2018 Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed Bills
HB 1288 - Extends the sunset for the Champion for Children Tax Credit and modifies provisions of a tax credit for donations to maternity homes.
The bill clarifies that for purposes of the credit a child advocacy center includes an association based in Missouri, an association affiliated with a national association, and an association organized to provide support to the regional assessment centers listed in Section 210.001.2, RSMo. The cumulative amount of tax credits redeemed cannot exceed $1.5 million in any tax year. Tax credits cannot be transferred or sold. This bill also removes the expiration of June 30, 2020 from the tax credit for donations to maternity homes and the expiration date of December 31, 2019 from the tax credit for donations to pregnancy resource centers, increases the cap for each credit to $3.5 million beginning January 1, 2019, and states that these tax credits cannot be transferred or sold. These provisions sunset on December 31 six years after the effective date unless reauthorized.
HB 1291 - Revises the definition of counties exempt from certain requirements of the county special road and bridge tax.
This bill, among other provisions, allows the governing bodies of certain counties to adopt ordinances regulating incompatible land uses and structures, as defined in the bill, within an unincorporated area surrounding the boundaries of any National Guard training center, if the county has participated in the completion of a joint land use study for the training center.
HB 1350 - Modifies provisions relating to criminal history records.
Currently, in-home service providers and home health agencies are guilty of a class A misdemeanor if they employ a person to provide services to patients who is listed on any of the background checklists in the Family Care Safety Registry. This bill repeals that provision and provides that such entities shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor if they employ a person who is guilty or has pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to certain offenses, is on the Department of Health and Senior Services' employee disqualification list or the Department of Mental Health's employee disqualification registry, or has a finding on the child abuse and neglect registry. Additionally, among other changes, this bill states that no state or federal financial assistance shall be available to pay for personal care assistance services if the personal care attendant has not undergone this background checkprocess or if the personal care attendant has a disqualifying finding under this bill.
HB 1355 - Allows retired police officers to return to work when a disaster or emergency has been proclaimed by the governor or there is a national disaster.
This bill establishes that any law enforcement agency in the state may supplement its workforce as necessary with qualified retired peace officers when a disaster or emergency has been declared by the Governor or when there is a national emergency, and those officers shall serve as volunteers. Retirees assisting law enforcement agencies under these circumstances shall be in compliance with the annual firearms training and qualification standards, established by the Department of Public Safety, for retired law enforcement officers carrying concealed firearms. Any compensation awarded to retirees for service under this bill shall be paid by the law enforcement agency the retired officer is assisting.
HB 1364 - Modifies provisions relating to hazardous waste fees paid to the Missouri Emergency Response Commission
Currently, the petroleum storage tank insurance fund is due to expire on December 31, 2020. The bill extends the expiration date to December 31, 2025. The bill also establishes the "Task Force on the Petroleum Storage Tank Insurance Fund." The task force shall be composed of eight members, with three being from the House of Representatives and appointed by the Speaker of the House and the Minority Floor Leader, three from the Senate, and two industry stakeholders. The task force shall conduct research and compile a report, by December 31, 2018, on certain topics relating to the petroleum storage tank
insurance fund (Sections 319.129 and 319.140, RSMo). Allows the Director of the Department of Agriculture to waive certain testing standards for fuel in emergency situations so long as the waiver applies equally and uniformly to suppliers and distributors
HB 1388 - Modifies provisions relating to certain sports contests.
This bill adds amateur kickboxing and amateur mixed martial arts to the list of contests the Division of Professional Registration, within the Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration has the authority to regulate. The bill requires that all contestants, other than amateur kickboxing contestants, be at least 18 years old and that all promoters provide a surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit before receiving a license. The bill also prohibits and restricts the use of certain strikes in amateur mixed martial arts. The bill removes the requirement that announcers and managers of professional boxing, sparring, professional wrestling, professional kickboxing, and professional full-contact karate be licensed by the division.
Travel Missouri This Summer: https://explorestlouis.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 with me to make Missouri a great place to live.
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