Lawmakers update issues over eggs

April 18, 2008 08:13 pm

— By Derek Spellman
dspellman@joplinglobe.com
NEOSHO, Mo. — Long-term water needs for the area and an update on legislation requiring liability insurance for private water parks were topics discussed by area lawmakers Friday.
Neosho’s installment of the “Eggs and Issues Forum” included remarks from Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, who said that a looming water shortage was one of Southwest Missouri’s most pressing issues that would need to be addressed.
“We have got to build a large water reservoir in this area,” he told the crowd gathered in the Lampo Community Building in Neosho. “We have got to address our long-term water shortage. Quickly.”
After the session, he told the Globe that he thought construction of a reservoir would have to begin within the next two to three years since the project would more than likely need multiple years to complete.
He said there “absolutely” was a chance that the state of Missouri would contribute some funding for construction, although it would not absorb all of the cost. He also said the state Department of Natural Resources needs to actively begin developing private partnerships for construction of such a reservoir.
In 2002, a groundwater study commissioned by Missouri American Water Co. determined that the area could face a water shortage during a drought if demand for water continues to increase. The study said the water shortage might be 15 years away.
Other items discussed by lawmakers Friday included legislation that was sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, in the House and that would mandate liability insurance for private water parks.
The measure, named “Ethan’s Law” for a 6-year-old Joplin boy, Ethan Cory, who drowned last July at the Swimmin’ Hole water park in rural Joplin, is scheduled for a committee hearing Tuesday, Ruestman said. The measure passed in the House on April 3 by a margin of 143 votes in favor to 5 against.
The bill requires the owner of a for-profit, privately owned swimming pool or water park to maintain adequate liability insurance in an amount of at least $1 million in the event of injury or death of a patron.
The bill initially proposed a punishment of a $100 fine and or a day in jail. The final version carries a stipulation that any park not carrying insurance would place the owner in jeopardy of being found guilty of a class A misdemeanor and subject to a fine of $250 per day of violation.
An examination of the death of Ethan Cory revealed how many liability problems “slipped through the cracks” when it came to assuring some level of oversight of private water parks, Ruestman said.
The proposed bill would make the parks accountable to insurance agencies that “can be a lot tougher on these swimming pools than we (state government) could be,” Ruestman said.

Other legislation
Other legislation making its way through the Missouri House of Representatives is House Bill 1367, which would authorize a $180 income tax credit for volunteer firefighters who complete at least 12 hours of any firefighter training program approved by the Division of Fire Safety. If the firefighter completes an additional 36 hours of training, the firefighter may claim a $360 credit. The tax credit is not refundable but can be carried forward for four years. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin.