Terror attacks shape new Missouri laws

ON THE BOOKS

~ The Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In response largely to last year's terrorist attacks, state laws are to take effect today creating new crimes and emergency powers and pumping up patriotism in public schools.

About 170 bills passed during this year's legislative session are to become law today. The state budget, and a couple dozen other laws, took effect earlier.

Already, some lawmakers are looking toward next year.

For example, Sen. James Mathewson, D-Sedalia, said Tuesday that he would be sponsoring a bill creating a statewide alert system to quickly notify the public of child kidnappings.

Like this year's laws in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, Mathewson's bill for the 2003 session is a response to recent child abductions around the nation and successes of so-called Amber Alert systems elsewhere.

Included in this year's anti-terrorism law are new felonies of "criminal water contamination" and "supporting terrorism" by providing such things as money, training, transportation, false documents or a safehouse to terrorists.

The new law defines bioterrorism and grants the state water patrol power to close waterways during an emergency. It also creates new exceptions to Missouri's open-records statutes, barring public access to such things as the structural and security records of government buildings and utilities.

Pledging allegiance

Under a separate law, public schools must ensure the Pledge of Allegiance is recited in at least one scheduled class of every student at least once a week. The law, however, does not force a student to recite the pledge.

Bill sponsor Sen. Ted House, D-St. Charles, said he was concerned that some schools had ceased reciting the pledge. Gov. Bob Holden has called the law a "symbolic gesture" that Missourians hold the values of the pledge "dear to our heart."

The pledge already is recited in most elementary schools but is not as common in junior and high schools, said Brent Ghan, a spokesman for the Missouri School Boards' Association.

"I don't think implementing this law is going to be a major problem for most schools," Ghan said. "It will take a few minutes each day."

About a dozen other patriotic laws also take effect today, including new specialty vehicle license plates with slogans such as "God Bless America."

Also effective today, parents will be able to abandon infants younger than 30 days at hospitals or with health care workers, law officers, firefighters or emergency medical technicians. So long as the baby has not been abused, the parents won't be prosecuted.

The law's intent is to save babies whose desperate parents might otherwise hurt or kill them. Dozens of other states have similar laws.

Also new is a requirement that clergy report suspected child abuse to authorities -- a provision passed after allegations of sexual abuse by priests in the Roman Catholic Church, including several cases in Missouri.

Teachers, doctors and some others already are required to report suspicions of child abuse.

New criminal laws make it illegal to entice children over the Internet for the sexual purposes, lower the monetary threshold for felony stealing charges and toughen penalties for people who intentionally spread the virus that causes AIDS.

The common courtesy of yielding to emergency vehicles on the side of the road also will become a legal requirement today. When parked emergency vehicles have their lights flashing, motorists must proceed with caution and change lanes if possible.

As it is now, that doesn't always happen, said Lt. Tim Hull, a spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

"A lot of times, they will move over. But if traffic is really heavy, in some cases, they don't even slow down when they go by you," Hull said.

Other new laws are intended to cap interest rates on pay day loans, put more space between new highway billboards and clarify liability in cases where drunken patrons kill or injure someone after leaving a bar or restaurant.