Ensuring Property Owners Can Protect Their Own Property

Greetings Friends of the 144th!

This week my House Bill 1292, written to help private property owners and farmers protect their property from feral hogs was voted out of committee. Yesterday, 2-26-20, the Deputy Director of MDC stopped by my office to tell me MDC is not comfortable with it as it is currently written and does not support it because I would not accept their compromise. I tried to work with them, and did make some changes they wanted. The main point of the bill is:

 No person except a landowner or such landowner’s agent with verifiable consent of the landowner on such landowner’s property shall take, attempt to take, or kill a feral hog with the use of an artificial light. No provision of this section shall be construed to prohibit a landowner or the landowner’s agent from using a night vision, infrared, or thermal imaging device.

The main part that they do not support is the “Within 7 calendar days” in the following definition of the bill. 

“Verifiable consent”, consent received in any form including, but not limited to, voice mail, telephone call, or text message from the landowner that an agent of the conservation commission is able to substantiate within seven calendar days after contact with the landowner’s agent.  “With verifiable consent of the landowner” is the part that MDC wanted added to the bill. I stated that I was open to changing it to 5, 30, 60, 90 days and even asked him for the time frame MDC had in mind, but he said they did not want anything at all there. My door is always open and I am always willing to listen to anyone who wants to work together to make legislation better. This bill now moves to the House Floor. 

House Gives Initial 

Approval to Legislation to Reinstitute Voter ID Law (HB 1600)

Missouri House members took action this week to reinstitute a voter ID requirement that was approved by more than 60 percent of Missourians in 2016. Lawmakers gave first-round approval to a bill that would bring clarity to the requirements that were gutted by a Missouri Supreme Court decision in January.

It was in 2016 that the legislature approved legislation to require voters to present a valid photo ID at the polling place or sign an affidavit and present some other form of identification. That same year voters also approved a constitutional amendment to authorize the voter ID law. A lower court ruling put the law on hold, and then in January 2020 the Supreme Court upheld the lower court ruling, which found the affidavit portion of the law unconstitutional.

The bill approved by lawmakers would remove the affidavit requirement and instead give voters without a valid photo ID the option to cast a provisional ballot. Individuals who cast a provisional ballot would need to sign a statement saying they will return to the polling place the same day with a valid ID in order to have their vote counted. They would also have their vote counted if their signature on the ballot matches the signature that is on file with election authorities.

The bill is designed to protect the integrity of Missouri’s election system. The provisional ballot language will ensure no one is turned away at the ballot box for not having proper identification. The bill is also crafted to be as simple and clear as possible so that everyone who is registered can vote and the elections are fair and trustworthy.

The bill now awaits a final vote in the House.

Committee to Discuss 

Missouri’s Response to Novel Coronavirus

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr announced the creation of the Special Committee on Disease Control and Prevention.  The committee will host a public forum for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to share their response to the coronavirus.   

Dr. Randall Williams has briefed the Speaker’s office on the state’s preventive measures and response plan to protect Missourians’ health. Missourians deserve to know the steps that have been taken and the proactive approach Dr. Williams and DHSS are utilizing to combat the coronavirus in our state.  The more information Missourians have, the better equipped the state will be to mitigate the spread of the virus and also monitor for symptoms so a prompt response is possible.

Recently, a top federal official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. appears to be inevitable.  The official’s comment comes as the pandemic continues to spread to more countries.  

The committee will hold its meeting with Dr. Williams, director of DHSS, on Monday, March 2 at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 5 in the Missouri State Capitol building.

Bills Sent to the Senate

HBs 1387 & 1482 establishes the “Authorized Electronic Monitoring in Long-Term Care Facilities Act”, which specifies the parameters of electronic monitoring by residents of long-term care facilities. The bill is important to give peace of mind to nursing home residents and their families. 

HB 1418 includes anyone employed by the Department of Corrections, corrections officers, and jailers in the list of persons whose home address and vehicle information is to be kept confidential by the Department of Revenue under state law. The main purpose of this bill is to protect those who have contact with offenders. The bill will keep certain information private so that Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC) employees can fulfill their duties safely. Working for MDOC can be dangerous, and some employees may be frequently threatened. The home address and vehicle information of employees should be held confidential to prevent retaliation and to protect employees. The protection the bill provides is already extended to prosecutors and judges and should be extended to all MDOC employees.

HB 1868 requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Career and Technical Advisory Council, to develop a statewide plan establishing the minimum requirements for a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Certificate. The statewide plan will match workforce needs with appropriate educational resources. This is a necessary aspect of the career and technical education certificates plan to provide viability and relevance. This is a great opportunity for emphasis on career technical education, and development of a plan will provide a floor and ceiling to work within. We need to do more for students who want to enter the technical field. 

HB 1873 creates the offense of vehicle hijacking, which is committed when an individual knowingly uses or threatens the use of physical force upon another individual to seize or attempt to seize possession or control of a vehicle. This offense is punished as a class B felony unless one of the aggravating circumstances listed in the bill was present during the commission of the offense, in which case it is punished as a class A felony. Creating this offense will allow prosecutors to charge offenders with a specific offense rather than having to rely on the broader robbery or stealing statutes. 

HB 1787 lowers the minimum age requirement to 21 years for holding various county offices and special district board memberships. The bill also requires a person appointed to elective public office not be delinquent in the payment of state income tax, personal property tax, municipal tax or real property tax. The bill makes the requirement for office 21 years of age or older and requires elected and appointed officials to file an affidavit of tax compliance.

HB 1694 requires the Department of Natural Resources to create and make available on its website an interactive map of hazardous waste sites in the state. The maps must link to certain information. Before January 1, 2021, each hazardous waste site must post an informational sign at each entrance to the site. It is important for people to be aware of what types of hazardous waste sites are in their communities. Even if the site doesn’t pose a health risk, it is still important to ensure that the information is available to citizens who live near the sites.

HB 1421 states that the hotel may use a safe or safe deposit boxes located behind the registration desk. Currently, lodging establishments are not liable for the loss of certain specified items, such as money or jewelry, unless the guest asked that the item be placed in a safe and the lodging establishment refused or omitted to do so. The bill also specifies that any lodging establishment that publishes current rates electronically on a public Internet platform does not have to post a written copy of the rates charged for each guest room. This is an antiquated law that needs to be updated to current practices, both in posting rates and in new security box systems that hotels are utilizing instead of the old large single safe. 

HB 1559 defines “private schools” as any non-public school or school operated by a religious organization and specifies that private schools shall not be required to increase their minimum wage annually as required by current law. Private schools are effected by the state mandatory minimum wage increases, and that the exemption for public entities should also apply to private schools.

I enjoyed having Don Thompson, from First State Community Bank in Potosi, stop by to visit with me. He shared several bills the Missouri Bankers Association supports and answered my questions regarding them.  As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns, or suggestions you might have.  As your Representative I am here to assist you however I can.  I can be reached by email at Chris.Dinkins@house.mo.gov or by phone at 573-751-2112.

Chris Dinkins is the area’s state representative for the 144th Legislative District. She can be reached by email – Chris.Dinkins@house.mo.gov or by telephone:   573-751-2112.