As I mentioned in my previous legislative column, August 28 is the official day that most legislation signed by the governor takes affect. Most bills that contain an emergency clause become law as soon as the governor signs it. During the 2008 legislative session, more than 575 measures were introduced in the Senate — with 58 Senate bills and 76 House bills receiving the governor’s signature. Below are several bills that will make a positive impact statewide for Missourians.

Legislation offering relief from high property taxes caused by reassessment has been signed by the governor. Senate Bill 711 requires tax rate roll backs; closes a loophole in the law that allows taxing districts to apply new voter-approved levies to future and unknown assessments; requires that taxpayers receive a projected tax liability with their reassessment notices; and increases the Senior Citizen Property Tax Credit award from $750 to $1,100 as well as expanding eligibility for homeowners.

House Bill 1384 allows consumers who suspect they are victims of identity theft to request a “security freeze” or lock on their credit file to prevent anyone from trying to receive credit, loans or services in their name. Consumers can then temporarily lift, or “thaw,” freezes when they want to make use of their own credit files, such as when applying for credit or loans. It also specifies that identity theft victims have the right to contact local law enforcement and request that an incident report regarding the identity theft be prepared and filed.

House Bill 1549 is comprehensive legislation relating to illegal immigration. The measure tackles illegal immigration on several fronts, primarily as it relates to employers who hire undocumented workers. Missouri employers are barred from hiring illegal immigrants and could lose permits or licenses if they knowingly employ illegal workers. Other reforms in House Bill 1549 prohibit communities from adopting safe sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants, bar individuals from transporting or harboring any illegal immigrant, require written tests for commercial licenses to be administered in English only, and provide penalties for individuals who use fraudulent means to assist illegal immigrants in obtaining driver’s licenses.

Omnibus legislation relating to weapons, House Bill 2034, also received the governor’s signature. A primary component of the bill protects owners of firearm ranges by shielding them from civil and criminal liability for noise emission. Another major provision removes residency requirements for concealed carry permits. Under current law, new residents must live in Missouri for six months before they can receive a permit. House Bill 2034 waives the six-month requirement for those who already have a valid permit from another state.

County sheriff deputies will now receive better pay under House Bill 2224. The legislation allows sheriffs to receive an additional $10 fee for processing any civil summons, writ, subpoena or other court order. This money will go into the newly created “Deputy Sheriff Salary Supplementation Fund,” which will be used to bolster the pay of county deputy sheriffs. The average salary for county deputies is slightly more than $22,000 — with most taking home only about $15,500 per year. This astonishing salary puts those with families below the federal poverty line.

A large-scale agriculture bill, Senate Bill 931, covers a variety of issues, including:

• Creating an income tax credit for those who build qualified alternative fuel stations.
• Exempting the purchase of forestry equipment, fencing and fuel for agricultural purposes from state sales tax.
• Changing hazardous substance spill cleanup requirements.
• Prohibiting the Missouri Department of Agriculture from mandating individuals to register under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Identification System program unless the department is required to do so by law.

Senate Bill 1034 strengthens record-keeping requirements for scrap metal dealers to help curb the instances of industrial metal theft in Missouri. A copy of the scrap metal seller’s driver’s license or other state or federally issued photo ID containing the seller’s current address must be kept in the transaction record, as well as the date, time, and place of each transaction. These enhanced requirements apply to copper, brass, bronze, and certain types of aluminum.

Each measure passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor goes through a thorough process to become law. If you have questions or comments about the legislation mentioned above, would like to know additional bills that have been signed into law, or have any suggestions about legislation you would like to see filed for the 2009 legislative session, please feel free to contact me at 573-751-8793 or by e-mail at: delbertscott@senate.mo.gov.

Senator Delbert Scott represents the people of Barton, Benton, Cedar, Dallas, Henry, Hickory, Pettis, Polk and St. Clair counties in the Missouri Senate.