Senate gives initial approval to option of 911 cell-phone fee

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Voters in each county would decide whether to impose fees on cell phones to benefit 911 emergency service, under a measure given first-round Senate approval Tuesday.

Such fees have been rejected twice in statewide votes in the past five years, with a ballot question last August defeated in all of Missouri's 114 counties.

The newest proposal provides that counties may raise money to finance 911 service for wireless phones by charging users up to 50 cents per month or by charging them an amount equal to the county's 911 charge on land-line telephones. Either option would require voter approval.

Counties could keep 80 percent of the money generated by the fee, with the balance going into a state fund that would provide grants to counties needing additional help with 911 systems.

The cell phone measure was added to a bill receiving initial Senate approval Tuesday that is designed to crack down on methamphetamine production in Missouri.

"We've all heard horror stories about people who needed help in rural areas and they couldn't get anybody," said Sen. Wayne Goode, D-St. Louis, who sponsored the phone fee amendment. "This is an opportunity to take these taxes on a local basis."

Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit, said the amendment was a little excessive because phone bills already carry numerous taxes.

"The percentage of taxes is breathtaking. I think every single level of government is imposing a tax on phone service," Bartle said. "We're just taxing it to death."

As of last August's vote, just six Missouri counties had 911 systems capable of identifying the name and phone number of a wireless caller and tracing the call to a particular transmission tower and antenna.

No county's system could pinpoint the exact location of from which a 911 call was made on a wireless phone. Advanced equipment would be needed to determine the caller's latitude and longitude.

The overall bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. John Cauthorn of Mexico, would make it a felony to produce methamphetamine within 2,000 feet of a school, school bus or residence where a child was located.

Another amendment would make it a felony to release anhydrous ammonia -- a fertilizer also used in meth production -- into the atmosphere. The bill also would create a fund for law enforcement grants to fight the meth trade.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that can be produced using common household products, including over-the-counter cold medicines and cleaning products.

Missouri led the nation last year with 2,725 meth raids and seizures, a 28 percent increase over 2001. More than one out of every six meth labs discovered nationwide was located in Missouri.

Last week, the House sent to the Senate legislation that would require retailers to keep some common decongestants close to checkout counters because they can be used to make methamphetamine.

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Drug and cell phone bill is SB39.

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Missouri Legislature: http://www.moga.state.mo.us