Mo. lawmakers prepare bills for 2013 session

Here’s a look at what has been proposed so far:

• In the House, Rep. Lyle Rowland, R-Cedarcreek, has again proposed a bill that would require presidential and vice presidential candidates to provide to the state “proof of identity and status as a United States natural born citizen” before they can appear on Missouri ballots.

Rowland sponsored similar legislation last year. The bill passed the House but didn’t make it through the Senate. It drew national headlines and was dubbed the “birther bill."

• Rep. Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart, has proposed a bill that would authorize Missouri to sign onto an effort in support of a national popular vote for president.

• In the other chamber, Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah, has proposed legislation that would bar lawmakers from serving as paid political consultants and require that they wait two years after leaving the Legislature before they can become lobbyists.

• Also on the ethics front, incoming state Sen. (former Rep.) Scott Sifton has proposed a ban on lobbyists gifts for lawmakers and their candidate committees.

• Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, and Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, have both filed bills that aim to lure sporting events (such as college bowl games) to Missouri through the use of tax credits

• Sen. John Lamping, R-Ladue, has proposed legislation that would require joint election of Missouri’s governor and lieutenant governor (like the president/vice president ticket on the federal level).

• Rep. Chuck Gatchenberger, R-Lake St. Louis, and newly-elected Sen. (former Rep.) Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, have proposed bills that would bar local limitations on pregnancy resource centers in the state. Similar efforts have been tried in the past.

Abortion rights advocates claim the faith-based anti-abortion centers (commonly referred in the Legislature as “alternatives to abortion” outlets) offer false or misleading information to pregnant women. Gatchenberger and Wallingford’s bills state the legislation is intended to ensure “religious practices and speech without governmental interference.”

• Other topics that are popping up include voter identification, tax reform efforts (a la Kansas) and school issues. The full lists are available on the House and Senate websites.