SS HB 579 — Emergency Management. (See State Government Law)

SCS HCS HB 619 & 118 — Civil Air Patrol. Lists the situations in which the Civil Air Patrol may be activated and specifies that the patrol may be used to assist National Guard noncombatant missions or missions in support of civil authorities and state agencies which have established agreements with the patrol.

If a mission of the patrol is granted federal mission status and assigned an accompanying federal mission number, the operation will be paid for by the federal government and members of the patrol will be considered federal employees for the purpose of any tort claim arising from the mission.

If an operation is not granted federal mission status, the state will pay for the mission using funds appropriated from the state agency which requested the patrol’s participation. In this case, members of the patrol will be considered state employees for the purpose of any tort or workers’ compensation claim.

These provisions apply to any Civil Air Patrol personnel and aircraft from any state that is flying a mission for any Missouri state agency. (Signed 7/13/07)

HCS HB 654 & 938 — Veterans’ Programs, the Stolen Valor Act, and Property Tax Exemptions. Increases from $750,000 to $1 million the amount of matching grants to be awarded annually for veterans’ service officer programs by the Missouri Veterans Commission.

The Stolen Valor Act of 2007 is established which makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly misrepresent himself or herself as a veteran or a medal recipient. Any violation of the provisions of the bill will be a class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a class D felony for any second or subsequent offense.

All property of a veterans’ organization with a congressional charter will be exempt from real and personal property taxes. (Signed 6/30/07)

CCS SS SCS HCS HB 780 — Professional Registration. (See Licensing Law)

CCS HCS SB 30 — Taxation. (See Taxation Law)

CCS HCS SCS SB 82 — Motor Vehicles. (See Motor Vehicle Law)

HCS SCS SB 272 — Professional Registration. (See Licensing Law)

CCS#2 HCS SCS SB 308 — Licensed Professionals. (See Administrative Law)

SB 433 — Unemployment Compensation for Certain Veterans. To qualify for unemployment compensation benefits, this bill requires that a war on terror veteran must be a Missouri resident immediately before deployment, be a member of the Missouri National Guard or a United States reservist, and be found by a court of competent jurisdiction that he or she was discharged or laid off from nonmilitary employment during deployment or within 30 days after the completion of his or her deployment. Benefit computations will be based on the veteran’s wages in the five completed quarters immediately before the deployment.

The Division of Employment Security within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is allowed to recoup erroneously paid benefits, and the penalty for an employer who takes adverse employment action against a veteran is increased from $25,000 to $35,000. (Signed 7/13/07)