Springfield, MO A series of crime bills received the governor'ssignature during a ceremony in Springfield. Tightening registration requirementsfor sex offenders and creating the crime of enticing a child over the internetare included in the package. KSMU's Missy Shelton has more.
View the Crime Bills
SB758--Bill Relating to Sex Offender RegistrationRequirements
SB969--Bill Relating to Cloning, Enticing a Child,Invasion of Privacy
A loophole in Missouri's sex crime registration requirements has allowed a number of offenders to keep their names off the sex offender list. But a bill the governor signed into law Wednesday closes that loophole.
Springfield representative Craig Hosmer sponsored the proposal. He says any loopholes in registration requirements undermine public safety.
Besides the bill that closes the loophole, the governor also signed legislation that creates the crime of enticing a child over the internet.
Southwest Missouri senator Morris Westfall sponsored that bill. He says there was a need to create such a crime because some prosecutors found it difficult to charge individuals who enticed unsuspecting children over the internet.
The same bill that makes it a crime to lure a child using the internet also makes it a crime to use hidden cameras for perverse reasons.
One other bill the governor signed Wednesday allows the highway patrol to create the Missouri regional computer forensics lab to fight internet and computer crimes. These bills take effect August 28th.