NEW LAWS TO GO ON BOOKS

Much of the legislation passed by the General Assembly last term takes effect Monday, including a law drafted by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle.

That law, House Bill 160, prohibits viewing, photographing or videotaping people partially nude when they believe they are in a private setting such as a tanning booth, dressing room or restroom.

Swingle said he drafted the law and mailed it to the attorney general and 22 lawmakers May 31, 1994, after reading a newspaper story about a Buffalo, Mo., man who had videotaped patrons undressing at his tanning salon. The man couldn't be charged for videotaping his adult clients because the practice wasn't illegal in Missouri.

"To me this was an example of where the statutes haven't caught up with the times," Swingle said. "I think any reasonable person would expect this to be illegal."

Swingle's action exemplifies what others interested in seeing changes to the Revised Statues of Missouri can do. People don't have to be prosecuting attorneys or even lawyers to propose a law and mail it to the attorney general and state senators and representatives.

"Anyone who sees something that needs to be changed could've done what I did," Swingle said.

Almost a year after the proposal was mailed to the officials, Sen. Wayne Goody, D-Normandy, sent a note to Swingle saying the measure had been passed.

"A few things were added, but it was almost exactly as I had written it," Swingle said. "I knew somebody would take the ball and run with it."

The new crime, invasion of privacy, ranges from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class C felony, depending on the number of victims and whether the suspect has been previously convicted for the same crime. The maximum punishment for breaking the law is seven years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Other bills taking effect Monday deal with everything from juvenile crime to speed limits on the state's waterways to allowing electric fences to be built around prisons.

In fact, 127 of the 172 measures enacted by the General Assembly will take effect Monday, a day that perhaps will have more direct impact on people's lives than most other dates throughout the year.

Most of the bills passed by the General Assembly have an automatic effective date of Aug. 28, unless they contain an emergency clause or have a different effective date included in the measure.

SOME OF MISSOURI'S NEW LAWS

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Gives politicians with campaign debts a break from strict fund-raising caps imposed by voters last year, for purposes of retiring old debts.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Makes it easier for victims of domestic violence to get court protection orders. Victim doesn't need to be a Missouri resident to get a court order. Missouri courts must honor protection orders from other states.

DRUNK DRIVING

Gives judges the option of ordering people convicted of drunken driving to blow into a machine attached to their vehicle to prove their sobriety before the vehicle can start.

GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY

A five-part package of laws to eliminate inactive or outdated state boards and commissions and streamline many practices of state government.

GUNS IN SCHOOLS

Requires students to be suspended for not less than one calendar year for bringing a firearm to school. Local school officials can modify suspensions on a case-by-case basis.

JUVENILE CRIME

Allows children as young as 12 to stand trial as adults for any felony. Children of any ages could face adult charges for crimes such as murder, rape or first-degree assault.

LETHAL PRISON FENCES

Mandates deadly electric fences be built between non-electric fences to prevent escapes at maximum security prisons in Jefferson City and Potosi.

LICENSE PLATES

Requires fully reflective vehicle license plates starting Jan. 1, 1997. Creates committee to develop a design for the plate by April 1, 1996.

NAME CHANGE

Allows Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville to change its name to Truman State University after July 1, 1996.

POLICE RECORDS

Closes police investigative reports to the public until cases become inactive, mandates that brief incident reports of police activity are open records.

POTTY PARITY

Women get more restroom water closets after major renovations in public facilities if more than half of the facility undergoes a major renovation.

STATE SYMBOLS

Designates the Missouri mule as the state's official animal and the square dance as the official state folk dance.

WOMEN'S HEALTH

Mandates that health insurers cover new types of breast cancer treatment.