Paternity and Child Support Bills to Become Law

The governor yesterday (7/7) signed two measures addressing family and child support issues. Senate Bills 140 and 141, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Smith (D-St. Louis), will officially become law August 28.

 

Senate Bill 140 allows non-violent defendants in criminal non-support cases to receive education, vocational training, a work program assignment and/or substance abuse treatment, in an effort to encourage them to resume their child support payments. Successful completion of these court-ordered programs or resuming support payments may reduce or dismiss the charges or penalties against the defendant.

 

Currently, the crime of criminal non-support is a class D felony if the person owes more than $5,000 or has failed to pay six months of payments within the last 12-month period. Under SB 140, the crime will be a class A misdemeanor unless the total payment due is in excess of 12 monthly payments combined, in which case, it will be a class D felony.

 

Also receiving the governor’s signature is Senate Bill 141, which protects men from false paternity claims. First, the bill requires that a presumed father be notified of any civil proceedings used to determine paternity and informs him of his right to contest the presumption of paternity and request genetic testing.

 

In the event that DNA testing reveals false paternity, the court is required to relieve the individual of responsibility and set aside the previous judgment of paternity and his child support commitment. The court must also eliminate remaining child support payments, expunge any criminal non-support records, and order the Department of Health and Senior Services to modify the child’s birth certificate.  

Veterans Bill Signed by Governor

To usher in the Independence Day weekend, the governor signed veterans-related measure House Bill 82 last week, which gradually grants a full state income tax exemption on military retirement income for Missouri veterans. The bill was handled in the Senate by Sen. David Pearce (R-Warrensburg).

 

Two years ago, the Legislature passed a bill that gradually eliminates state income taxes on Social Security or public pension benefits for Missourians age 62 and older who do not exceed a certain income cap. However, the bill didn’t offer a complete tax exemption to all Missouri veterans for their retirement benefits until they reached age 62. House Bill 82 will exempt military retirement benefits immediately upon retirement, without requiring the retiree to be at least 62. 

 

House Bill 82 phases in a 100 percent income tax exemption for veterans. The exemption increases by 15 percent annually beginning in 2010 until it is fully implemented at 100 percent in 2016. 

 

The new law takes effect August 28, 2009.

FY 2010 Budget Takes Effect

Today (7/1) the $23 billion fiscal year 2010 budget took effect after the governor signed the budget bills last week.

 

The governor lent his signature to all of the budget bills last Thursday (6/25), while cutting $105 million through line-item vetoes and restricting an additional $325 million in spending until revenue improves.

 

The FY 2010 operating budget is contained within House Bills 1–13, while House Bills 17, 21 and 22 contain funding for special projects. In addition to the operating budget, House Bills 21 and 22 are the primary vehicles for spending the stimulus money handed down by the federal government earlier this year.

 

Post-veto, the operating budget contains $2.46 billion for elementary and secondary education, the state’s primary expenditure. Social services are the second-largest expense at $1.52 billion. The budget also contains $921 million for higher education, $842 million for health and mental health and $22 million for agriculture, conservation and natural resources.

 

The FY 2010 budget year runs July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010.

 

Emergency Personnel Benefit Fund Established with Governor's Signature

The governor signed on Friday (6/19) a bill that creates a new fund to help support the families of Missouri emergency workers who are killed in the line of duty.

House Bill 580, which was handled in the Senate by Sen. Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles), establishes the Line of Duty Compensation Act. The new law allows a claim to be filed with the Division of Workers' Compensation on behalf of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, air ambulance pilot or air ambulance registered nurse who is killed while on the job. The benefit is $25,000 and can be claimed up to one year following the individual’s death.

The bill contains an emergency clause, which means it became law upon receiving the governor’s signature.

 

Governor Signs Unemployment Compensation Extension Bill

On Friday (6/12), the governor signed House Bill 1075, a bill that extends and expands unemployment benefits for Missourians. House Bill 1075 contained an emergency clause, which means it took effect immediately upon receiving the governor’s signature.

The measure, handled in the Senate by Sen. John Griesheimer (R-Washington), allows the state to receive extended federal unemployment money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In turn, the state will use those funds to extend the amount of time out-of-work Missourians can receive unemployment benefits and expand who may be eligible for such benefits.

House Bill 1075 specifies that the additional unemployment compensation can be offered to claimants during times of high unemployment (when the average total unemployment is greater than 6.5 percent during the most recent three-month period). This amounts to extending unemployment benefits from the typical 59 weeks to an additional possible 13 weeks (during at least 6.5 percent unemployment) or 20 weeks (during at least 8 percent unemployment).

The bill also expands the number of Missourians who may be eligible to receive unemployment compensation. Individuals will now be able to receive unemployment benefits if they were forced to leave their jobs because of a compelling family reason, including the illness or disability of an immediate family member, the need to relocate for a spouse’s job, or because of a domestic violence situation. Also eligible to receive benefits are workers enrolled in a job training program.

For the expanded federal unemployment benefits to continue past 2009, the General Assembly must renew the provisions of HB 1075 next session or they will expire after the stimulus funding is depleted.

Governor Signs Jobs Bill

Today the governor signed HB 191, the comprehensive economic development measure passed by the Legislature on the last day of session. The bill is designed to create jobs and boost the economy while instituting major tax credit reform.

To read more about the bill, read the latest general column.

Military and Veterans’ Issues Top 2009 Session Priorities

As the nation celebrated Memorial Day this week and honored the military service men and women who lost their lives while serving their country, lawmakers were able to count military issues as one success of the 2009 legislative session.

Two military-related bills (HB 427 and HB 82), both handled in the Senate by Sen. David Pearce (R-Warrensburg), were passed by the General Assembly and sent to the governor’s desk this session.

To read more about these bills, check out this week's general column.