Area lawmakers seek to tackle texting, shared parenting in 2020

Area lawmakers will introduce bills for the 2020 state legislative session addressing everything from shared parenting to texting while driving.

Lawmakers can pre-file bills beginning next month.

Wayne Wallingford

State Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, said his top priority is to pass a shared-parenting bill. It would create a “rebuttal presumption” for parents in child-custody cases to receive equal time with their children, he said.

He introduced similar legislation last session, but it failed to pass.

“This is going to be a big push for me,” he said. “Most fatherlessness is created by outdated court systems, not abandonment, so I want to get that corrected.”

Kathy Swan

State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, plans to offer a similar bill in the House. The goal, she said, is to force judges to start with the premise parents should be granted equal time with their children unless there is evidence showing such a move is not warranted.

Wallingford said he will reintroduce legislation to ban texting while driving, calling it a “common-sense piece of legislation” designed to improve traffic safety.

Current state law only prohibits drives younger than 21 from texting and driving.

Swan said she plans to file legislation to provide grants for school districts to partner with community groups to address barriers to education, such as mental illness, homelessness and domestic violence.

She said the proposal could provide funding for a mentorship program operated by the Honorable Young Men Club, in partnership with the Cape Girardeau School District, to help at-risk students.

Swan said she also plans to reintroduce a bill to change Missouri’s condemnation law to better protect property owners.

Swan and her husband, Reg, fought the City of Cape Girardeau in court over condemnation of their property. The Swans and the city eventually settled the case.

Swan’s bill would require condemning entities to provide a property owner with a “clear, concise” disclosure statement describing the effects of a project on the property being taken.

Barry Hovis

State Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Gordonville, plans to refile his 911 bill.

Cape Girardeau County levies a surcharge on landlines to fund 911 emergency service. To impose a tax on cellphone service would require voter approval, he said.

Hovis wants lawmakers to pass a bill allowing counties to operate 911 systems with existing, appointed boards rather than require board members to be elected.

He also is pushing a “Right to Repair” bill, which would allow farmers to read electronic, troubleshooting codes on farm equipment rather than have to call a dealer to come out and identify the problem needing repair.

“We have to find a way for farmers to be able to work on their equipment,” he said.

Holly Rehder

State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, once again will seek to enact a prescription-drug monitoring program statewide to allow doctors and pharmacists to detect whether patients have been shopping for painkillers.

Rehder said she believes the bill, which previously has died in the Senate, has a good chance of passing this time.

Also on Rehder’s agenda is legislation to provide vouchers to veterans so they can be admitted to nursing homes and assisted-living facilities while waiting to gain admittance to a veterans home.

She said such a measure could aid all veterans, including the homeless.

Rick Francis

State Rep. Rick Francis, R-Perryville, again is pushing for abatement of state sales tax on building supplies for developers of single-family homes in Perry County.

Industries in Perry County have been unable to hire needed workers because of a lack of housing, Francis said when he introduced the bill last year.

Francis said he also plans to look at possible legislation to better protect timeshare owners.

A timeshare allows people to share ownership of a property, usually a vacation property such as a condominium.

Francis said he has received calls from people who said they had no idea their heirs would have to continue to pay maintenance fees.

“I just think it needs to be looked into for better timeshare-owner protection,” he said.

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