Dozens of bills passed by Missouri lawmakers this year remain unsigned as the deadline for taking action approaches.
They include the sole Ferguson-related bill passed during the 2015 legislative session.
Senate Bill 5 would bar municipal judges from jailing someone for not being able to afford to pay a traffic fine and would reduce the percentage of revenue from traffic fines local governments can use in their budgets.
So far, Gov. Jay Nixon has not indicated whether he'll sign or veto the bill, but he did say last Friday that he'll likely take action on it sometime this week.
Any bill that is not signed or vetoed by July 14 automatically becomes law in Missouri. Other bills awaiting action include:
- HB 137 -- Changes the laws regarding competitive bidding for a contract license office
- HB 501 -- Requires course materials relating to sexual education to contain information regarding sexual predators, online predators and the consequences of inappropriate text messaging
- HB 515 -- Changes the laws regarding public retirement systems; would also eliminate St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners
- HB 531 -- Requires liquid nicotine products to be sold in child-safe packaging
- HB 618 -- Changes/updates process involved in certification of a person's death
- SB 93 -- Creates the Campus Free Expression Act to protect free expression on the campuses of public institutions of higher education
- SB 224 -- Requires a student to be a United States citizen or permanent resident to be eligible to receive reimbursements from the A+ Schools Program
- SB 334 -- Modifies provisions relating to the boards of regents of state colleges and universities and broadens the degree-granting authority of Harris-Stowe State University
- SB 445 -- Requires owners of a coal-fired electric generating source to develop an ambient air quality monitoring or modeling network
- SB 539 -- Allows the county commission, or a county officer designated by the county commission, to provide passport services if the circuit court clerk does not provide the services
Meanwhile, Nixon signed 13 bills and one resolution into law Monday. Most of them create or expand recognition for various people and causes:
- HB 361 -- Designates the third week of February in Missouri as "Engineer Awareness Week"
- HB 402 -- Designates the week before Memorial Day as "Missouri Safe Boating Week"
- HB 404 -- Expands the current designation of May 15 as "Missouri’s Peace Officers Memorial Day" to include the week in which the 15th falls as "Missouri's Peace Officer Memorial Week"
- HB 567 -- Designates Dec. 4 as "Alpha Phi Alpha Day"
- HB 859 -- Designates April 15 as "Jackie Robinson Day"
- HB 874 -- Designates October 16 as "Walt Disney – A Day to Dream Day"
- HB 1119 -- Designates the second Monday in April as "Missouri Lineworker Appreciation Day"
- SCR1 -- Designates January as "Sex Trafficking Awareness Month"
Nixon also signed into law:
- HB 517/754 -- Shortens the amount of time in which the Department of Revenue is required issue tax refunds from 90 days to 45 days after a return or overpayment claim is filed
- HB 613 -- Updates and clarifies laws pertaining to delinquent property tax and real property tax sales, among other provisions
- HB 616 -- Exempts short-term rental equipment from personal property taxes
- SB 18 -- Requires the Missouri Department of Revenue to notify businesses of changes in sales tax law interpretation
- SB 166 -- Changes "I Have a Dream" specialty license plate to "Dare to Dream" license plate … addresses concerns about copyright infringement
- SB 405 -- Adjusts county collector's fee schedule for collecting state and local taxes within a county
Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter: @MarshallGReport
