Blunt signs insurance fraud, weapon permit bills

House Bill 116 makes it a criminal act for someone to cause injury or death to a service dog. Owners will be able to seek civil damages if a service dog is harmed.

House Bill 174 allows real estate brokers to acts as agents on behalf of clients after forming a written agreement. The law also prohibits sexual offenders and felons, in certain cases, from receiving real estate licenses.

House Bill 365 allows sheriffs to use proceeds from permit application fees for processing concealed weapon carry permits.

Jessica Robinson of Blunt’s office said often permits aren’t processed because the funding to do so has not been available until now.

House Bill 388 protects personal health and financial information if a complaint is filed through the Department of Insurance.

“Before, a complaint said, ‘This is what’s wrong with me,’ and gave access to records. This law protects your private information, like Social Security numbers and private health conditions,” Robinson said.

Private information can be made available if a complainant chooses to do so.

House Bill 866 protects consumers from individuals who violate insurance fraud laws and gives the Department of Insurance the ability to penalize those who violate the laws.

Senate Bill 168 states homeowners must give contractors a chance to repair defects in a home before filing a lawsuit. The law also bans racially discriminatory restrictive covenants in homeowner association documents.

Robinson said homeowners’ associations draw up covenants that place restrictions on a community, such as prohibiting fences or requiring fees to pay for a community pool.

“Decades ago, these sometimes included things that were racial or religious and were discriminatory. This law mandates that this kind of language should be removed,” she said.

Senate Bill 480 requires Missouri’s board of education to adopt a policy that encourages parent and family involvement in children’s education.

“It promotes parental and guardian involvement, the idea being that having a policy will potentially bring the issue to the forefront, and that underlines the importance,” Robinson said.

[[In-content Ad]]