JEFFERSON CITY — During the 2011 legislative session, Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, worked to pass a variety of legislation, including measures to reduce the size of state government, improve efficiency in state agencies, and support programs benefitting Missourians. The governor approved most of these measures before the July 14 deadline to sign bills into law.
“I supported the passage of these common-sense measures to increase efficiency in state government and make sure our state statutes are kept up to date,” said Sen. Wasson. “I am pleased that most of these bills were signed into law and can now go into effect to help better our state.”
Bills signed by the governor that were sponsored or handled by Sen. Wasson include:
House Bill 464, which eliminates and consolidates 28 boards and commissions that have completed their work required by statute. Many of these panels have not met in years, and their elimination will make state government more streamlined and efficient. The legislation received the governor’s signature on July 11.
House Bill 109, which makes sure the highly successful Linked Deposit Program, which makes low-interest loans available to small businesses and farms throughout the state, does not expire. The governor signed the measure on June 22.
Senate Bill 306, which contains a variety of provisions that affect credit unions in order to bring their regulation and enforcement up to date. The law relating to credit unions had not been revised in close to 40 years. The governor signed the bill on July 5, but vetoed a similar measure handled by Sen. Wasson (HB 465).
Senate Bill 325, which requires any board, commission, committee, council, or office within the Division of Professional Registration to notify a licensee’s current employer of a change in the licensee’s license or disciplinary status. This bill also contains a provision originally found in SB 340, sponsored by Sen. Wasson, to strengthen regulations on preneed funeral contracts. The governor signed SB 325 on July 7.
Senate Bill 284, which defines the term “legend drug” for the purpose of certain pharmacy statutes. The bill targets drug products used in drug trials so that Missouri will be able to continue participating in clinical trials. The legislation also includes a sales tax exemption for prescription over-the-counter medications and medical rental equipment, like wheelchairs, oxygen, and electronic communication devices. The governor signed the legislation on July 11.
House Bill 83 (also drafted in Sen. Wasson’s SB 219) affects local banks in the state by making sure that ATMs are able to charge access fees if someone from a foreign country is making a withdrawal. The legislation received the governor’s signature on June 16.
House Bill 217 allows election authorities to use electronic voter identification systems or electronic signature pads to verify a voter’s address, registration status, and signature information at a polling place, allowing election authorities to utilize the new technology available to them to make voting a quicker and easier process. The measure was signed by the governor on June 11.
House Bill 499, which adds a licensed counselor to the list of people who can report information to the Department of Revenue regarding a person’s competency to drive. If it is believed a person is incompetent or unqualified to drive, the department director could then require the person to submit to an examination in order to retain his or her license. The governor signed the measure on June 17.
House Bill 111, which contains legislation originally drafted in SB 387 to allow a judge to release a non-violent offender on electronic monitoring. All costs associated with the electronic monitoring would be charged to the offender. This legislation is important because it saves counties money that they would otherwise have to spend housing these offenders. The governor signed the legislation on July 8.
Senate Bill 220, was vetoed by the governor on June 7. The bill would have allowed architects, engineers, landscape architects, and land surveyors to use a peer review process and increase the liens while performing work on buildings or land.
House Bill 430, which contains a provision originally found in SB 260 (sponsored by Sen. Wasson) to create penalties for hitting EMS, fire fighters, and law enforcement working the scene of motor vehicle crashes, was vetoed on July 8. The Legislature has the option to attempt to overturn the governor’s vetoes during the annual veto session in September.
