SPECIAL MESSAGE

WHEREAS, by my Proclamation dated August 22, 2011, I convened the Ninety-Sixth General Assembly of the State of Missouri in the First Extra Session of the First Regular Session; and

WHEREAS, Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 54, relating to protecting children from sexual offenders, was passed during the First Regular Session of the Ninety-Sixth General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, significant confusion and concern has been raised regarding provisions contained in Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 54 that limit electronic communications between teachers and students; and

WHEREAS, it is important that teachers and school district staff have the ability to appropriately communicate with their students without fear and uncertainty as to the application of the legal restrictions contained in Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 54; and

WHEREAS, the State of Missouri has been affected by numerous natural disasters during 2011; and

WHEREAS, these natural disasters have destroyed numerous businesses in Joplin and elsewhere across this state; and

WHEREAS, counties are currently authorized to provide property tax relief for residential property destroyed by a natural disaster; and

WHEREAS, counties are not authorized under current law to provide similar property tax relief to commercial property destroyed by a natural disaster, thereby imposing a significant financial hardship to businesses attempting to rebuild and recover in the aftermath of a disaster; and

WHEREAS, affording counties the authority to extend property tax relief to commercial property destroyed by a natural disaster will provide much needed assistance to those business owners affected by disasters; and

WHEREAS, the need to repeal certain provisions contained in Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 54 passed during the First Regular Session of the Ninety-Sixth General Assembly relating to electronic communications between teachers and students and to enact property tax relief for commercial property destroyed by a natural disaster are extraordinary occasions as envisioned by Article IV, Section 9 of the Missouri Constitution.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JEREMIAH W. (JAY) NIXON, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, pursuant to the authority vested in me as Governor by the Constitution of the State of Missouri, do hereby amend the matters specifically designated and limited for consideration by the General Assembly in my August 22, 2011 Proclamation to add to those matters the following additional specifically designated and limited matters. The additional specifically designated and limited matters on which the action of the General Assembly is deemed necessary are as follows:

  • To enact legislation repealing subsections 162.069.1 through 162.069.4, RSMo. This matter is limited to the repeal of subsections 162.069.1 through 162.069.4, RSMo, and should not be construed to allow or permit amendments to those subsections or to otherwise enact revised or new language in place thereof.

  • To enact legislation establishing a mechanism for commercial property to be removed on a pro rata basis from the tax book if such commercial property is destroyed by a natural disaster and is unusable for commercial activity due to such destruction.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, in the City of Jefferson, on this 6th day of September, 2011.

[Jay Nixon's signature]
Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon
Governor

ATTEST:

[Robin Carnahan's signature]
Robin Carnahan
Secretary of State

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