Legislation creating a statewide 911 system was signed into law by Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) today in Springfield.
The bill authorizes counties to impose a monthly fee to fund 911 service in that county, upon voter approval.
Under the law, that monthly fee could not exceed $1.50 per device.
The bill has been a top priority for veteran State Rep. Jeanie Lauer, R-Blue Springs, who has worked on this legislation for eight years.
Governor Parson traveled to southwest Missouri’s Springfield to sign the bill.
“I think the big thing is to show appreciation for the people out there every day that are doing a job for people in the state of Missouri, that most of us don’t want to do,” Parson says.
Governor Parson is referring to Missouri’s first responders and public safety professionals.
“Frankly that are risking their lives every day for us, for people they’ll never know, that are out there just taking care of people,” says Parson. “And as I told them in the room (at the Greene County Public Safety Center in Springfield) earlier, it’s truly about a calling, about being a public servant.”
Under the bill, the Missouri Department of Revenue must also maintain a database that would be accessible to the Missouri 911 Service Board, specifying the current monthly fee or tax imposed by each county.
Governor Parson also tweeted Friday, praising Representative Lauer, who’s in her eighth and final year in the Missouri House.
“Thanks to Representative Lauer, Missouri will no longer be the only state without a statewide 911 system,” Parson tweeted.
(The audio in this story is courtesy of Missourinet Springfield television partner KOLR-10)
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