LEGISLATIVE REPORT: SUMMING UP THIS YEAR'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION

As this session of the General Assembly ends, about 240 pieces of legislation have been passed including a tax cut, major crime bills, a transportation oversight plan, desegregation, child custody and welfare expansion.

The governor has until July 14, 1998, (midnight) to sign these bills into law. Unless otherwise noted in the legislation, signed bills become effective as law on Aug. 28, 1998. This listing summarizes majors bills of the year.

Tax relief and taxpayer rights

* SB 675: The Tax Cut Bill provides a state income tax deduction of $1,200 for care of children and $1,000 for care of elderly dependents. This expands the senior citizen circuit breaker property tax breaks.

* SB 936: This exempts from state and local sales and use tax certain replacement machinery in business, feed for livestock and poultry, certain equipment and drugs for individuals with disabilities, certain pesticides and herbicides in agriculture, lubricants for farm equipment, certain grain bins, commercial breeder pet food and more.

* HB 1301: This Taxpayer Bill of Rights expands certain notification of tax rights to include state income taxes and sales and use taxes.

Crime bills and concealed carry

* HB 1147: This drug bill increases penalties and prohibits the illegal production of methamphetamine. It seeks to prevent the endangerment of children by illegal drug producers and to enable creation of drug courts to speed action on those accused.

* HB 1405: This bill establishes a procedure whereby certain sexual predators may be civilly confined when their prison term ends. A similar Kansas law was found Constitutional.

* HB 1469: The state board of education may revoke teacher certification for someone convicted of felony moral turpitude such as murder, rape, sodomy, etc.

* HB 1891: In April 1999, Missouri voters will decide whether or not to allow the carrying of concealed weapons as defined in this bill.

Desegregation and education

* SB 781: The desegregation plan was a difficult balancing act. It certainly sends too much money to St. Louis and Kansas City. BUT it does provide MORE money to our area schools than they have been able to reclaim in the past. The plan eliminates principal tenure in St. Louis, it establishes charter schools in Kansas City and St. Louis and it revises governance of St. Louis schools. This bill was designed to facilitate a settlement in St. Louis. If St. Louis does not settle or if they fail to pass a taxing district or some taxing portion of this bill is found unconstitutional, then much of this bill is without effect.

Child custody, support and adoption

* SB 910: Called the most comprehensive child custody change in 25 years, the bill allows some non custodial parents to perform certain legal filings without an attorney. It seeks to guarantee certain rights to parents who pay timely on support payments but have trouble getting visitation. It requires parents to fill out "parenting plans" when they file for divorce and noncustodial parents would receive notice when a custodial parent makes certain moves with the child.

* SB 674, HB 1822: These make changes to adoption law such as requiring insurers to cover adopted children, limiting the time for revoking an adoption consent due to claim of duress and making multiple changes to state and court action in determining whether to reunite certain children with parents or terminate said parent's rights.

Transportation

HB 1681, SB 883: A joint committee is created to review an annual comprehensive report, including route by route status updates on the 15-year plan. We've never had such updates, nor could we get such information. The plan keeps decisions on roads out of politics by leaving such with the commission. The first report is due Dec. 1, 1998.

Welfare expansion

* SB 632: This bill expands welfare health care by making all children in families up to 300 percent of poverty eligible for government Medicaid health care. This means families of four earning nearly $50,000 a year with a quarter-of-a-million in assets can get Medicaid at taxpayer expense. those over 226 percent of poverty will pay a small co-pay. Missouri's plan is among the broadest and most expensive plan in the country.

* HB 1519: In this bill, two state departments award grants to government and private agencies to build or expand government approved child care and education for children ages birth to six. Only "eligible parents" with income less than 185 percent of federal poverty can get aid for caring for their own children, under age 3, at home. The bill is funded by money formerly used for veterans' needs and other appropriations. Some point out the state expanded to pre-kindergarten care when many school districts now do not get adequate state funding to provide required, necessary transportation, etc.

State Rep. David Schwab represents the 157th district.