Thursday, July 14, 2005
Contact: Jessica Robinson, (573) 751-0290
Blunt Completes Legislative Action
JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Matt Blunt today acted on the remaining bills from the 93rd General Assembly’s first regular session, finalizing what was truly an historic session.
In total, Blunt acted on 196 bills. He signed 194 bills including provisions that increase funding for public schools, enact meaningful regulatory reform, balance the state budget without imposing new taxes or raising existing taxes, reform Missouri’s social welfare system to ensure that taxpayer funded assistance is getting to the most needy, enhance crime laws in our state and reign in out-of-control state spending. Blunt vetoed only two bills – less than any governor in more than two decades.
Blunt signed the following bills today.
House Bill 56, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Threlkeld, specifies that anti-kickback laws relating to referrals for health care services do not apply to certain programs established by pharmaceutical companies to provide financial assistance for individuals with chronic or life threatening conditions.
House Bill 209, sponsored by Rep. Shannon Cooper, authorizes the simplified municipal telecommunications business license tax and establishes the State Highway Utility Relocation Act.
House Bill 258, sponsored by Rep. Jane Cunningham, repeals the requirement that school districts conduct an annual census of children with disabilities who live in their district.
House Bill 276, sponsored by Rep. Jane Cunningham, changes the laws regarding special education to comply with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
House Bill 379, sponsored by Rep. Shannon Cooper, exempts the positions within the Divisions of Finance and Credit Unions in the Department of Economic Development from the merit system that are compensated from a dedicated fund obtained through assessments and license fees used for regulating and examining banks, trust companies and credit unions.
House Bill 431, sponsored by Rep. Mark Wright, allows certain buildings located within Springfield’s 100 year flood plain to be eligible to receive sales and income tax increments from the Missouri Downtown and Rural Economic Stimulus Act.
House Bill 453, sponsored by Rep. Bob May, authorizes the governor to convey state property located in Phelps County to St. James.
House Concurrent Resolution 20, sponsored by Rep. Scott Rupp, declares October 15th of each year to be known as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
Senate Bill 122, sponsored by Sen. Gary Nodler, creates the Energy Efficiency Implementation Act requiring the Office of Administration to identify and deposit into the revolving administrative trust fund no more than two and a half percent of total cost savings realized when the state enters into a guaranteed energy cost savings contract.
Senate Bill 155, sponsored by Sen. Rob Mayer, authorizes the Division of Family Services to expunge the information from reports against mandatory reporters when the report was found to be malicious, for purposes of harassment, or in retaliation. The bill also states that if a minor abuses another child that the minor cannot return to or reside in any residence 1000 feet from the home of the abused child, and any child care facility or school the abused child attends until the abused child is eighteen-years-old; this provision does not apply to sibling abuse.
Senate Bill 179, sponsored by Sen. John Griesheimer, allows utility companies to recover costs through alternate rate plans with the Public Service Commission.
Senate Bill 237, sponsored by Sen. David Klindt, modifies numerous regulations of the telecommunications industry.
Senate Bill 272, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Gross, limits the amount of revenue St. Charles City may collect from admission fees from gaming boats after fiscal year 2008 to the percentage of revenue attributable to admission fees for fiscal year 2006.
Senate Bill 289, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Engler, allows prosecutors to use discretion, instead of mandating, as to whether a grand jury will examine public buildings and report on their condition.
Senate Bill 302, sponsored by Sen. Maida Coleman, allows the two St. Louis City school board members whose term expires in April 2010 to serve until their successor is elected in November 2010. The bill also moves the election date for those two members to the November general election from the April municipal election.
Senate Bill 318, sponsored by Sen. Jason Crowell, removes certain employees of the Division of Finance and Division of Credit Unions from the state merit employee system. The bill also authorizes the Division of Finance to collect an amount not to exceed 15 percent of certain estimated costs from banks and trust companies in order to conduct examinations.
Senate Bill 320, sponsored by Sen. Chris Koster, creates a lien against real estate for non-payment of rental equipment fees.
Senate Bill 323, sponsored by Sen. Matt Bartle, creates eligibility criteria for grants to umbilical cord blood banks in order to expand existing umbilical cord blood banks and establish new ones throughout the state.
Senate Bill 394, sponsored by Sen. Gary Nodler, repeals the law requiring the state treasurer to maintain information on financial institutions doing business in Northern Ireland, in which the state invests funds.
Senate Bill 401, sponsored by Sen. Harry Kennedy, removes the three child limit in police pension systems and no longer requires that the ordinary disability retirement allowance not exceed seventy percent of the member's average final compensation.
Senate Bill 407, sponsored by Sen. Rob Mayer, states that the term "owner" when used to define a person having a right to create a beneficiary deed shall include any such person, regardless of the terminology used to refer to the owner in the deed.
Senate Bill 431, sponsored by Sen. Victor Callahan, allows the city council of Independence to levy up to a two percent sales tax on food to be known as the Museum and Tourism-Related Tax.
Senate Bill 518, sponsored by Sen. Harry Kennedy, creates the Assistive Technology Trust Fund. The fund will be used to establish and maintain assistive technology programs and services provided by the Advisory Assistive Technology Council.
Senate Bill 521, sponsored by Sen. Jason Crowell, includes the lieutenant governor or their designee as a member of the Community Service Commission.
A complete list of Blunt’s legislative action is available online at: http://www.gov.mo.gov/la2005.htm.
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