I am writing this to cover recent legislation that affects
the office of Sheriff and county government as a whole. Per statute laws take effect on August
28th the year they are signed into law unless there are stipulations
in the legislation that change the date.
The first is Senate Bill 42 which changes the
following. Any Sheriff in the
state may budget for and hire his own attorney. Prosecutors have no obligation to provide legal service to
any elected official. Sheriff’s
have to deal with many issues outside of the criminal code and this gives them
an option. Prior to this only Sheriff’s in a first class county could hire
their own attorney.
The next item requires that any one filing to run for
Sheriff to have a Missouri Peace Officers License prior to filing. Under the old law anyone without felony
convictions could file and they had up to one year to get the license. When the law was put into place
originally a license only required 120 hours of training, it now requires 600
hours.
An item listed in recent news articles about the county
audit discussed canteen funds.
This law also clarifies the operation of jail canteens. The way the canteen was run at the Pike
County Jail prior to this law is nearly identical to wording used by the
legislature.
Another provision allows for counties to go after unpaid
jail bills by going after state income tax returns and lottery winnings.
A provision that was cut during the last week of the
legislative session dealt with Sheriff’s salaries. A news story in some local sources in May 2013 misquoted the
proposed legislation stating that the Pike County Sheriff could begin making
$116,858 per year.
The proposed legislation would have used the Sheriff’s civil
fund to increase the salary not to exceed that of a full time prosecutor. Based on 2012 civil fund this would
have amounted to less than a $38,000 increase. The current Sheriff’s salary of $48,600 is well below that
of both the Bowling Green and Louisiana Police Chiefs or a Highway Patrol Corporal.
There are some Sheriff’s in the state make less than State Trooper.
Senate bill 75 makes big changes to Missouri’s Concealed
Carry law. Beginning August 28th
Sheriff’s Offices will begin issuing the Concealed Carry permits and they will
no longer be an endorsement on your driving record. Permits will also be good for five years. The permits will be paper until we
receive the equipment to issue a plastic ID card. The card printers will be purchased with state funds that
the Legislature placed in the state budget. Anyone who receives a paper card may choose to laminate or
come in after the card maker is received and we will reissue a new plastic
card.
Senate Bill 75 also limits the release of gun ownership
information. It also prohibits
state agencies or those acting on their behalf of creating any database
concerning gun ownership.
Sheriff Stephen Korte