!,1
,i: 'I'! i
Dear Friend,
Many people do not realize it often takes two or three years
to get a bill passed and signed into law. Complicated mea-
sures making many changes can even take longer!
That's one reason this session was significant• A large
number of major bills won approval. The General Assembly
took decisive steps to upgrade the state's educational system,
implement the state lottery, establish a missing children's
information network, and provide public agencies with
information on toxic substances used in the workplace•
In addition, measures passed by lawmakers now require
owners of motor vehicles to maintain liability insurance,
allow judges to consider protection of the community in
determining bail for persons charged with serious felonies,
and allow the terminally ill to order the removal of medical
treatment that unduly prolongs their life.
I hope you will continue reading this report. Many other
bills may affect you personally. This session was exception-
ally productive and I worked to resolve the problems you
have called to my attention.
As always, I am honored to be your representative. Let me
know how I can continue to be of service.
Estil V. FretweU
lence In Education Act Adopted-
s major accomplishments was the "Excellence In Education" Act. I served as
five House members on the interim committee which formulated this act from the
of teachers, administrators and citizens across the state.
last year at this time to work on the reform package. We met many times in many
s to hear firsthand about the problems facing Missouri's elementary and secon-
s a law which I feel will have a lasting impact on our schools -- and our children's
gree with every provision, I am proud to have helped provide solutions to
state's educational problems.
separate areas of reform are singled out in the new law and a number of the key
follows:
• int Committee on Education composed of House and Senate members is established to
on educational improvements and bring educational needs to the attention of the
Assembly.
districts are required to test students on an annual basis for competency in
reading, language arts, science, m.a.thematics,socia! studies, and civics.
I dls wmtten disclplme policy cnool
, " trict must prepare a " • " . personnel in compliance with
code will no longer be civilly liable.
which establish "Excellence Programs" in certain areas will be compensated by the
on a matching basis. Eligible programs include business-education partnerships,
math or writing programs, high technology projects, and many others.
for teachers are set at $15,000 for 1986-87; $16,000 for 1987-88; $17,000 for
and $18,000 for 1989-90. Those districts meeting local tax effort guidelines will be
by the State to meet the minimum salary schedule.
in 1988, prospective teachers will be tested before entrance into a teacher educa-
Program. Education students must also pass a competency test before receiving a
compensation will be available to teachers with satisfactory performance if their
district adopts a "career ladder" plan which follows guildelines presented in the new
Performanceof school administrators must be evaluated on a regular basis.
used to rank 46th in the nation in per capita taxes dedicated to education. Now,
state will be contributing an additional $102.5 million through the foundation
r $25 million in fiscal year 1985-86 to help fgnd these changes, and local school
be expected to do their part in generating funds as well.
rmly believe 1985 will be remembered as the year when great strides were taken to
on of our young people. With this new law, we have taken many steps in the
the floor of the House is one key to
• f legislation.
Amendments Slated00
Later this year you will be voting on three
other constitutional amendments besides the
one I introduced.
Two of these other constitutional amend-
ments pertain to the State Treasurer. One
would give theState Treasurer the authority
to invest state funds and non-state funds held
by the state. The other would establish a cash
operating reserve fund in the state treasury.
A final constitutional amendment you will
be considering would permit the governing
body of a city or county to issue general obli-
gation bonds for improvements in an area in
which two.thirds of the owners of two-thirds
of the property petition to be a special benefit
district.
These measures offer a number of advan-
tages and I'm sure you will want to take a
further look at them.
Bills I Introduced
Meet With Success_.__
One of the most rewarding aspects of being
a lawmaker is the opportunity to change
things. In particular, it is rewarding to take a
good idea to the General Assembly and see it
added to state statutes.
This session, I introduced a number of
measures which won passage. One would
amend the Missouri Constitution to allow a
bill to become law automatically if the gover-
nor failed to sign or veto it within specified
time limits. Currently, the General Assembly
must pass a joint resolution directing the
Secretary of State to enroll such a bill before
it becomes law.
You will have an opportunity to vote on
this amendment later, and I feel it will save
us all a great deal of expense and inconven-
ience in cases where controversial legislation
is at stake.
Other bills I introduced and passed which
benefit various citizens in our district
addressed the following topics:
* School Transportation/ This measure
could help schools in our area a great
deal. It allows school districts to receive
extra state aid for transportation when
the State Board of Education determines
that it is warranted. This will allow
many rural schools to keep operating
their transportation systems when their
costs are far above the state average due
to sparsity of population.
* Readiness Assessment Program/A
school district may set up an assess-
ment program to determine the readi-
ness of any child born between July 1
and September 30 to enter kindergarten
or first grade. If the district determines
the child is ready, the district will receive
state aid even if the child's birthday
falls after the cut-off date. Parents of a
child bern between July 1 and September
30 may request an assessment even if
the district does not have a regular
assessment program.
* Pesticide Use/It is no longer consi-
dered misuse of a pesticide to use a lesser
concentration of a pesticide for agricul-
tural purposes than is indicated on the
label. Requests for pesticide application
at a lesser strength must be made in
writing.
* Employment Security Judicial
Review/This proposal provides that
the Labor and Industrial Relations
Commission will notify the Division of
Employment Security when proceedings
for judicial review are initiated. At that
point, the Division will become a party
to the proceedings.
* Junior College Funding/ The tax
rates in effect for junior college districts
in 1984 will not be reduced twice because
of an increase in the assessed valuation
of property created by reassessment. In
addition, the measure provides a method
for newly formed public community jun-
ior college districts to receive state aid.
Missing Children
Bill Passed,
Each year, thousands of children are
reported missing. Some are away from home
only a few hours -- but some never return
home. A number of those who disappear for
good could be located through a concerted
effort by law enforcement officials, but in
Missouri there has never been an organized
system to report missing children and a sub-
sequent method of followup.
Because Northeast Missouri citizens wished
to see this changed, I introduced a bill this
year which established procedures for local
and state law enforcement officials to follow
in relaying reports of missing children to the
National Crime Information Center and other
agencies. The law also provides for following
up cases which are not solved through a spe-
cial unit in the State Highway Patrol.
The bill was passed by the General Assem-
bly as part of an overall package to protect
our kids further from persons who would
harm them. I feel children are defenseless in
many matters and it is up to adults - and
lawmakers - to evaluate hazards to their
safety and well-being.
Child pornography is one case in point.
Another provision of the bill establishes a
penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a
maximum fine of $500,000 for those con-
victed of promoting child pornography.
In addition, the bill makes selling children
for profit a felony and allows children to be
videotaped when their testimony is needed in
abuse and other cases.
The bill was included in Governor Ash.
croft's list of priority measures for the ses-
sion. I think we can all be proud of the fact
that input from Northeast Missouri has led to
these safeguards.
Airport LawEnacted
One bill which Sen. Norman Merrell spon-
sored and I handled in the House will allow
us to improve transportation and general
aviation facilities in Northeast Missouri.
The bill permits the governing body of a
county to establish an airport authority which
can acquire and operate one or more airports
in that county or an adjoining county.
State matching funds for all, port construc-
tion are also increased.
State Lottery Set
As you probably already know, Missouri's
first state lottery will be getting underway
toward the beginning of 1986. Lawmakers
adopted a plan this session for putting the
• lottery into operation.
Under the plan, the Governor appointed a
lottery commission of three people whose
names were approved by the State Senate.
The commission then appointed a director to
be in charge of the day to day lottery
operation.
The law established guidelines in numer-
ous areas including the handling and distri.
bution of lottery monies, criminal penalties,
conflicts of interest, and contracting proce-
dures. The law also eliminated the influence
of political patronage in the licensing of sales
agents - a provision I worked to ensure.
Overall, our concern in drafting the law
was to make sure the lottery operates hon-
estly and efficiently, To achieve these goals,
audits are required. Plus, lottery participants
and employees are strictly regulated.
As for striking it rich, all lottery winnings
are exempt from state taxes prior to July 1,
1988. After that date, winnings of less than
$600 will not be taxed at all and prizes of more
than $600 will be taxed at 4%.
First District Projects
Receive Funding
Three First District projects will receive
funds from the sale of $400 million in state
bonds authorized this session.
The Battle of Athens State Park in Clark
County will receive more than $1 million for
the planning, renovation and construction of
a visitor's center. Funds for preparation of
exhibits, road construction, and stabilization
of the hotel are included in this amount.
Wakonda State Park in Lewis County will
also be making improvements with an addi-
tional $104,000. The money will be used for
playgrounds, campgrounds, and fire alarms
and extinguishers as well as other projects.
In addition, a new runway, taxiway, and
aircraft parking apron will be constructed at
the Memphis Memorial Airport in Scotland
County with $350,000 in bond proceeds.
Summary of Major
Legislation
Timesharing Regulations
Purchasers of timesharing plans or proper-
ties would have the right to cancel within five
days of purchase. The attorney general will
have final approval of solicitation letters,
and the use of gifts in timesharing adverti
ing is regulated.
Seat Belts
To cut down on head injuries and their cost to
society, a new law will require motorists to
use seat belts starting September 28. The $10
penalty for those who do not wear safety belts
does not go into effect until July 1, 1987.
Northeast Missouri
State University
Under a new law, Northeast Missouri State
University - presently a regional institution
- will become a state-wide institution of lib-
eral arts and sciences. The current board of
six regents will be replaced by a ten-member
board of governors. The new board of gover-
nors must submit a three-year plan outlining
the program of liberal arts and sciences by
January 1, 1987.
Living Wills
Those 18 or older with a terminal illness can
now order the removal of medical treatment
which prolongs their life.
Witness Immunity
This bill permits local prosecutors, with the
approval of the attorney general, to offer wit-
nesses immunity from prosecution in return
for testimony.
Hazardous Waste
Formerly, companies which produce hazard-
ous wastes contributed to the state "Super-
fund" for the cleanup of such waste on the
basis of the number of people they employed.
Under a new law, these companies will now
pay fees based on the volume of waste they
produce. Companies which treat their waste
so it is no longer hazardous will pay only half
the regular fee.
Mandatory Insurance
Motorists must now carry auto liability insur-
ance or some other type of financial coverage,
Motorists driving without coverage cod
lose their license and pay a stiff fine.
Right To Know
Companies that use or produce toxic sub-
stances would have to file information about
the hazards and characteristics of the mate-
rials with the state Division of Health and
local fire departments.
Infrastructure Development
Improvements to Missouri's highways,
streets, bridges, water supply systems, mass
transportation facilities, public buildings,
jails, prisons, waste water treatment facili-
ties, airports, port facilities, and sewers and
sewage treatment facilities will now be coor-
dinated by a Commission on Infrastructure
Development.
I I II I II I IIII
Estil V. Fretwell
Representative, 1st District
Room 206A, State Capitol RR #2, Box 227
Jefferson City, MO 65101 Canton, MO 63485
314-751-2092 314-288-3431
J - II I III
!,1
,i: 'I'! i
Dear Friend,
Many people do not realize it often takes two or three years
to get a bill passed and signed into law. Complicated mea-
sures making many changes can even take longer!
That's one reason this session was significant• A large
number of major bills won approval. The General Assembly
took decisive steps to upgrade the state's educational system,
implement the state lottery, establish a missing children's
information network, and provide public agencies with
information on toxic substances used in the workplace•
In addition, measures passed by lawmakers now require
owners of motor vehicles to maintain liability insurance,
allow judges to consider protection of the community in
determining bail for persons charged with serious felonies,
and allow the terminally ill to order the removal of medical
treatment that unduly prolongs their life.
I hope you will continue reading this report. Many other
bills may affect you personally. This session was exception-
ally productive and I worked to resolve the problems you
have called to my attention.
As always, I am honored to be your representative. Let me
know how I can continue to be of service.
Estil V. FretweU
lence In Education Act Adopted-
s major accomplishments was the "Excellence In Education" Act. I served as
five House members on the interim committee which formulated this act from the
of teachers, administrators and citizens across the state.
last year at this time to work on the reform package. We met many times in many
s to hear firsthand about the problems facing Missouri's elementary and secon-
s a law which I feel will have a lasting impact on our schools -- and our children's
gree with every provision, I am proud to have helped provide solutions to
state's educational problems.
separate areas of reform are singled out in the new law and a number of the key
follows:
• int Committee on Education composed of House and Senate members is established to
on educational improvements and bring educational needs to the attention of the
Assembly.
districts are required to test students on an annual basis for competency in
reading, language arts, science, m.a.thematics,socia! studies, and civics.
I dls wmtten disclplme policy cnool
, " trict must prepare a " • " . personnel in compliance with
code will no longer be civilly liable.
which establish "Excellence Programs" in certain areas will be compensated by the
on a matching basis. Eligible programs include business-education partnerships,
math or writing programs, high technology projects, and many others.
for teachers are set at $15,000 for 1986-87; $16,000 for 1987-88; $17,000 for
and $18,000 for 1989-90. Those districts meeting local tax effort guidelines will be
by the State to meet the minimum salary schedule.
in 1988, prospective teachers will be tested before entrance into a teacher educa-
Program. Education students must also pass a competency test before receiving a
compensation will be available to teachers with satisfactory performance if their
district adopts a "career ladder" plan which follows guildelines presented in the new
Performanceof school administrators must be evaluated on a regular basis.
used to rank 46th in the nation in per capita taxes dedicated to education. Now,
state will be contributing an additional $102.5 million through the foundation
r $25 million in fiscal year 1985-86 to help fgnd these changes, and local school
be expected to do their part in generating funds as well.
rmly believe 1985 will be remembered as the year when great strides were taken to
on of our young people. With this new law, we have taken many steps in the
the floor of the House is one key to
• f legislation.
Amendments Slated00
Later this year you will be voting on three
other constitutional amendments besides the
one I introduced.
Two of these other constitutional amend-
ments pertain to the State Treasurer. One
would give theState Treasurer the authority
to invest state funds and non-state funds held
by the state. The other would establish a cash
operating reserve fund in the state treasury.
A final constitutional amendment you will
be considering would permit the governing
body of a city or county to issue general obli-
gation bonds for improvements in an area in
which two.thirds of the owners of two-thirds
of the property petition to be a special benefit
district.
These measures offer a number of advan-
tages and I'm sure you will want to take a
further look at them.
Bills I Introduced
Meet With Success_.__
One of the most rewarding aspects of being
a lawmaker is the opportunity to change
things. In particular, it is rewarding to take a
good idea to the General Assembly and see it
added to state statutes.
This session, I introduced a number of
measures which won passage. One would
amend the Missouri Constitution to allow a
bill to become law automatically if the gover-
nor failed to sign or veto it within specified
time limits. Currently, the General Assembly
must pass a joint resolution directing the
Secretary of State to enroll such a bill before
it becomes law.
You will have an opportunity to vote on
this amendment later, and I feel it will save
us all a great deal of expense and inconven-
ience in cases where controversial legislation
is at stake.
Other bills I introduced and passed which
benefit various citizens in our district
addressed the following topics:
* School Transportation/ This measure
could help schools in our area a great
deal. It allows school districts to receive
extra state aid for transportation when
the State Board of Education determines
that it is warranted. This will allow
many rural schools to keep operating
their transportation systems when their
costs are far above the state average due
to sparsity of population.
* Readiness Assessment Program/A
school district may set up an assess-
ment program to determine the readi-
ness of any child born between July 1
and September 30 to enter kindergarten
or first grade. If the district determines
the child is ready, the district will receive
state aid even if the child's birthday
falls after the cut-off date. Parents of a
child bern between July 1 and September
30 may request an assessment even if
the district does not have a regular
assessment program.
* Pesticide Use/It is no longer consi-
dered misuse of a pesticide to use a lesser
concentration of a pesticide for agricul-
tural purposes than is indicated on the
label. Requests for pesticide application
at a lesser strength must be made in
writing.
* Employment Security Judicial
Review/This proposal provides that
the Labor and Industrial Relations
Commission will notify the Division of
Employment Security when proceedings
for judicial review are initiated. At that
point, the Division will become a party
to the proceedings.
* Junior College Funding/ The tax
rates in effect for junior college districts
in 1984 will not be reduced twice because
of an increase in the assessed valuation
of property created by reassessment. In
addition, the measure provides a method
for newly formed public community jun-
ior college districts to receive state aid.
Missing Children
Bill Passed,
Each year, thousands of children are
reported missing. Some are away from home
only a few hours -- but some never return
home. A number of those who disappear for
good could be located through a concerted
effort by law enforcement officials, but in
Missouri there has never been an organized
system to report missing children and a sub-
sequent method of followup.
Because Northeast Missouri citizens wished
to see this changed, I introduced a bill this
year which established procedures for local
and state law enforcement officials to follow
in relaying reports of missing children to the
National Crime Information Center and other
agencies. The law also provides for following
up cases which are not solved through a spe-
cial unit in the State Highway Patrol.
The bill was passed by the General Assem-
bly as part of an overall package to protect
our kids further from persons who would
harm them. I feel children are defenseless in
many matters and it is up to adults - and
lawmakers - to evaluate hazards to their
safety and well-being.
Child pornography is one case in point.
Another provision of the bill establishes a
penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a
maximum fine of $500,000 for those con-
victed of promoting child pornography.
In addition, the bill makes selling children
for profit a felony and allows children to be
videotaped when their testimony is needed in
abuse and other cases.
The bill was included in Governor Ash.
croft's list of priority measures for the ses-
sion. I think we can all be proud of the fact
that input from Northeast Missouri has led to
these safeguards.
Airport LawEnacted
One bill which Sen. Norman Merrell spon-
sored and I handled in the House will allow
us to improve transportation and general
aviation facilities in Northeast Missouri.
The bill permits the governing body of a
county to establish an airport authority which
can acquire and operate one or more airports
in that county or an adjoining county.
State matching funds for all, port construc-
tion are also increased.
State Lottery Set
As you probably already know, Missouri's
first state lottery will be getting underway
toward the beginning of 1986. Lawmakers
adopted a plan this session for putting the
• lottery into operation.
Under the plan, the Governor appointed a
lottery commission of three people whose
names were approved by the State Senate.
The commission then appointed a director to
be in charge of the day to day lottery
operation.
The law established guidelines in numer-
ous areas including the handling and distri.
bution of lottery monies, criminal penalties,
conflicts of interest, and contracting proce-
dures. The law also eliminated the influence
of political patronage in the licensing of sales
agents - a provision I worked to ensure.
Overall, our concern in drafting the law
was to make sure the lottery operates hon-
estly and efficiently, To achieve these goals,
audits are required. Plus, lottery participants
and employees are strictly regulated.
As for striking it rich, all lottery winnings
are exempt from state taxes prior to July 1,
1988. After that date, winnings of less than
$600 will not be taxed at all and prizes of more
than $600 will be taxed at 4%.
First District Projects
Receive Funding
Three First District projects will receive
funds from the sale of $400 million in state
bonds authorized this session.
The Battle of Athens State Park in Clark
County will receive more than $1 million for
the planning, renovation and construction of
a visitor's center. Funds for preparation of
exhibits, road construction, and stabilization
of the hotel are included in this amount.
Wakonda State Park in Lewis County will
also be making improvements with an addi-
tional $104,000. The money will be used for
playgrounds, campgrounds, and fire alarms
and extinguishers as well as other projects.
In addition, a new runway, taxiway, and
aircraft parking apron will be constructed at
the Memphis Memorial Airport in Scotland
County with $350,000 in bond proceeds.
Summary of Major
Legislation
Timesharing Regulations
Purchasers of timesharing plans or proper-
ties would have the right to cancel within five
days of purchase. The attorney general will
have final approval of solicitation letters,
and the use of gifts in timesharing adverti
ing is regulated.
Seat Belts
To cut down on head injuries and their cost to
society, a new law will require motorists to
use seat belts starting September 28. The $10
penalty for those who do not wear safety belts
does not go into effect until July 1, 1987.
Northeast Missouri
State University
Under a new law, Northeast Missouri State
University - presently a regional institution
- will become a state-wide institution of lib-
eral arts and sciences. The current board of
six regents will be replaced by a ten-member
board of governors. The new board of gover-
nors must submit a three-year plan outlining
the program of liberal arts and sciences by
January 1, 1987.
Living Wills
Those 18 or older with a terminal illness can
now order the removal of medical treatment
which prolongs their life.
Witness Immunity
This bill permits local prosecutors, with the
approval of the attorney general, to offer wit-
nesses immunity from prosecution in return
for testimony.
Hazardous Waste
Formerly, companies which produce hazard-
ous wastes contributed to the state "Super-
fund" for the cleanup of such waste on the
basis of the number of people they employed.
Under a new law, these companies will now
pay fees based on the volume of waste they
produce. Companies which treat their waste
so it is no longer hazardous will pay only half
the regular fee.
Mandatory Insurance
Motorists must now carry auto liability insur-
ance or some other type of financial coverage,
Motorists driving without coverage cod
lose their license and pay a stiff fine.
Right To Know
Companies that use or produce toxic sub-
stances would have to file information about
the hazards and characteristics of the mate-
rials with the state Division of Health and
local fire departments.
Infrastructure Development
Improvements to Missouri's highways,
streets, bridges, water supply systems, mass
transportation facilities, public buildings,
jails, prisons, waste water treatment facili-
ties, airports, port facilities, and sewers and
sewage treatment facilities will now be coor-
dinated by a Commission on Infrastructure
Development.
I I II I II I IIII
Estil V. Fretwell
Representative, 1st District
Room 206A, State Capitol RR #2, Box 227
Jefferson City, MO 65101 Canton, MO 63485
314-751-2092 314-288-3431
J - II I III
