HB 681 -- Missouri Sunset Act

Co-Sponsors:  Bearden, Sutherland, Stefanick, Stevenson, Hobbs,
Goodman, Brown, Wood, Portwood, Lipke (157)

This bill creates the Missouri Sunset Act.  Each new program
authorized by the General Assembly will sunset after a period not
to exceed six years.  A program may be re-authorized for up to 12
years.

Two years prior to a program's scheduled sunset, the agency
responsible for administering the program is required to submit
certain information to the Committee on Legislative Research
regarding the public need for the continuation of the program.
The committee is to hold hearings and issue a report to the
General Assembly with recommendations on whether the program
should be continued, reorganized, sunset, or consolidated within
state agencies not being reviewed.  Any recommendations not
requiring statutory changes are to be presented to the State
Auditor and used in the next scheduled audit of the program to
review the agency's implementation of the recommendations.

Programs inactive for two years prior to the scheduled sunset may
be exempted from hearing, evaluation, and reporting requirements.
During each legislative session, committee staff is required to
monitor proposed legislation affecting programs that have
undergone review and periodically report to the committee any
proposed changes that would modify prior committee
recommendations.  The General Assembly retains the right to
terminate any program prior to the program's scheduled sunset.
Any program to which money has been appropriated prior to August
28, 2003, may be subject to review as provided in the bill and
recommended for termination or continuation.

A program that is to sunset will continue in existence until June
30 of the following year.  Any moneys remaining after the sunset
are to be transferred to the General Revenue Fund.  Property and
records are to be transferred to the Office of Administration or
the designated state agency.  Bond indebtedness and other written
obligations are to remain in effect until the terms are completed
and paid in full.

The committee may inspect the records of any state agency and
will have the full cooperation of state agencies and officials.
Any state employee displaced by the sunset of a program will be
assisted in relocating by the state agency and the Division of
Employment Security.

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated July 25, 2003 at 10:12 am