JEFFERSON CITY | The Missouri House approved a trio of measures Thursday to keep sex offenders out of classrooms, change rules regarding initiative petitions and limit lawsuits involving unsafe cars.
The sex offender bill is designed to make it harder for teachers who leave their jobs because of inappropriate relationships with students to get hired by another school district.
Rep. Jane Cunningham, a St. Louis County Republican who sponsored the bill, said teachers with questionable histories move between districts so often that it has a name: “It’s called ‘passing the trash.’ ”
The bill requires school districts to report any allegation of sexual misconduct to the Social Services Department within 24 hours. Even if the allegation is found to be unsubstantiated, it would be reported to the Child Abuse Registry.
The registry is confidential. But beginning in 2009, teacher applicants would be asked to sign a waiver to give school officials access to the confidential records. School districts would be required to disclose any allegations of sexual misconduct about former employees to other school districts.
The legislation, House Bill 1314, was approved 139-6.
The unsafe car legislation would allow lawsuits only against the dealer with whom the consumer negotiated the purchase of the car. Any dealer who previously handled the car would be immune from lawsuits.
Supporters said the bill stems from a Missouri Supreme Court decision that found that current law permits lawsuits against parties not involved in a transaction.
Rep. John Burnett, a Kansas City Democrat, warned that the bill would gut the consumer protections in Missouri’s anti-lemon law. Under the proposed bill, an unscrupulous mechanic could rebuild a car, fail to install airbags, then sell it a dealer, who sells it to a consumer. If the consumer is later injured in a wreck because the airbags were missing, the consumer could sue only the dealer, who did nothing wrong, Burnett said.
Rep. Michael Frame, a Eureka Democrat, said the bill was little more than pandering to the auto industry.
But Republican Reps. Don Wells of Cabool and Brian Nieves of Washington, both car dealers, said the bill actually helps consumers. Without the clarification, dealers will dramatically lower the price they offer for trade-ins because current law makes them liable for the condition of that trade-in even after they re-sell it to a wholesaler.
The legislation, House Bill 1970, was approved 113-37.
The House also approved changes in the rules regarding people who circulate initiative petitions seeking to place an issue on the ballot. Under the bill, signature gatherers would have to be Missouri residents.
In an effort to reduce the number of invalid signatures, those handling petitions could not be paid per signature. And each person gathering signatures would have to register with the secretary of state’s office.
The measure, House Bill 1763, was approved 107-41.
By KIT WAGAR
The Star’s Jefferson City correspondent
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