Missouri Legislative Changes for the New Year

While most Missouri laws go into effect Aug. 28 of the year in which the legislation passed, four new laws went into effect on Jan. 1.

HB 1311: Thanks to the House bill 1311, thousands of Missouri kids affected by autism will now be eligible for health insurance coverage for the treatments they need. All group health benefit plans are now required to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, and coverage will be limited to treatments ordered by qualified physicians that are considered medically necessary. The new law requires that health insurance plans cover up to $40,000 per year for each affected child, and it provides a new licensing requirement for behavior analysts who treat autism.

HB1868: In an effort to save the state money, House bill 1868 merges the Missouri Water Patrol with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. While officers will remain in their current assigned positions, Missouri residents may encounter Water Patrol officers on the roads, as some will be assigned to help the Highway Patrol during the offseason. All officers will now wear blue uniforms and resources will be shared between agencies. Beginning Monday (Jan. 10), water patrol officers will receive several weeks of highway patrol training, including instruction on related laws, investigations and policies.

HB 1: Expected to save Missouri taxpayers $660 million over the next 10 years, House bill one creates a new contributory requirement for state employees' retirement plans. While they weren't required to make contributions before, state employees hired after Jan. 1 will be required to contribute four percent of their salaries (pre-tax) to their pension plans. Plus, they'll now be required to work for 10 years before becoming eligible to receive their pensions (double the original five-year requirement) and the minimum retirement age increased from 62 to 67 for most new employees. The new law does not apply to state employees who were hired before 2011.

HB 205: In an attempt to reduce the number of fires started by cigarettes, Missouri joins 48 other states with House bill 205. The Fire-Safe Cigarette Law states that Missouri stores can only sell cigarettes that are considered "fire-safe," meaning that they will extinguish automatically if not actively smoked. The new cigarettes are made with a special kind of paper that is designed to stop burning if left unattended. While the law is new to Missouri, most retailers have already been selling fire-safe cigarettes since manufacturers began switching over about five years ago. By July, the law will affect every U.S. state when Wyoming's legislation becomes effective.

In St. Louis County, the smoking ban (Chapter 605) went into effect Jan. 2. To reduce secondhand smoke and create a smoke-free work environment, the county implemented the Indoor Clean Air Code.  

This smoking ordinance is different than other county laws because the county council agreed to put the issue to a vote. County residents approved the measure in November of 2009. The ordinance states that smoking is no longer permitted inside a public place or at a place of employment, inside or within 15 feet of the door. 

All restaurants are included in the ban, but private residents, casinos, tobacco stores and bars are excluded. 

Individuals will be fined up to $50 and business owners up to $100 for each offense. Non-smoking signs must be installed outside the establishment and at all public and employee entrances, even if the building is already smoke-free. 

Also in the county, Chief of Police Timothy Fitch got legislation to accept $10,026.24 to combat underage drinking in the South County and Affton precincts. 

The grant comes from the Missouri Department of Public Safety to implement the 2011 Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Grant Program. The funds will go towards officer overtime and operations for the next year.