Today is the day that most of the new state laws passed this year in Missouri take effect.
Those new laws include one that would allow tenured teachers in St. Louis to be fired for incompetence, and sets the time period for firing teachers found to be either incompetent or inefficient at 30 days. It was sponsored by Democratic Senator JamilahNasheed of St. Louis.
“This bill puts St. Louis more in line with the rest of the 521 (public school) districts when it comes to getting rid of bad teachers,“ Nasheed said.
Another law creates new tax credits designed to lure amateur sporting events to the Show-Me State, such as NCAA Tournament basketball games and Olympic trials. It was sponsored by Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of St. Louis County.
“It’s an opportunity for us as a state to move forward and attract these really important events that can generate a lot of revenue, not just for the state, but for those businesses, those restaurants, those bars, the hotels, that support these major events, and I think it’ll be great,” Schmitt said.
Other new laws prevent pharmacies from being forced to carry any specific drug or device against their will, and requires doctors to be present whenever abortion inducing drugs are administered to a woman.
Another new law taking effect today will replace conceal carry endorsements with conceal carry permits, and transfer their oversight from the Department of Revenue to local Sheriff’s offices.
There is also a new law that will exempt some farm chores by kids under 16 from child labor rules, and another that will create treatment courts for military veterans.
Meanwhile, the new workers’ compensation law that’s designed to replenish the state’s Second Injury Fund won’t take effect until January.
