New laws on ethics, Pledge of Allegiance set to take effect

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More than 100 new Missouri laws will take effect today, ranging from tougher ethics policies for lawmakers to a requirement that public schools give students time each day to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

House Speaker Todd Richardson made tightening the state's loose ethics laws a top priority in the legislative session that ended in May, after a tumultuous year that included the resignations of two former lawmakers who left office amid accusations of scandal.

Richardson's predecessor, John Diehl, resigned after exchanging sexually suggestive texts with a Capitol intern, as did Sen. Paul LeVota, who denied allegations of sexually harassing interns.

Both events gave momentum to efforts to revamp ethics laws that had failed for years.

Among the new laws is one that bans lawmakers, statewide elected officials and officeholders of seats that need Senate confirmation from registering as lobbyists for six months after their terms are set to expire.

Before that, elected officials were able to immediately step down to take sometimes lucrative jobs lobbying former colleagues. Rep. Tony Dugger stepped down in recent days, saying he wanted to keep his career options open and avoid the ban.

Additional new ethics laws include a ban on statewide elected officials and lawmakers from also serving as paid political consultants and new restrictions on investing campaign money.

Another new law requires public schools to give students the chance to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at least once every school day instead of the former requirement of once a week, though students are not required to say the pledge.

Missouri School Boards' Association spokesman Brent Ghan said the group is unsure how many schools already recite the pledge once a day, but said it likely will mean a policy change for some.

After today, newly created daily fantasy sports sites will need to get a license from the state Gaming Commission to operate in Missouri.

The law imposes regulations on daily fantasy sports that are similar to those governing gambling and bans those younger than 18 years old from playing.

Daily fantasy sports sites already operating in the state before April 1 have until Oct. 1 to apply for a license.

Other new laws taking effect today include:

• A measure that will expand the state's sex trafficking laws to ban ads for commercial sex acts on websites, apps and other places in an effort to help crack down on predators.
• A measure to allow people to carry medicine to counter heroin overdoses without a prescription. It also will give legal protection to good Samaritans who use the drug naloxone on someone who appears to be suffering from an overdose and then call emergency responders, as well as allowing pharmacists to sell naloxone, which had required a prescription.