Sex Offenders Don't Have to Move

Some convicted sex offenders will be able to live close to schools and daycare centers, according to a ruling today by a Cole County Judge.

You can watch my KY3 News @ 10 piece HERE.

The legislature passed a law that bans registered sex offenders from living 1000 feet within schools or daycare facilities.

The ruling says lawmakers went too far when they went further -- and crafted a law that forces registered sex offenders to move from the homes in which they lived before the ban went into effect.

Parents are upset about it. Greene County Sheriff Jack Merritt called the decision "a disappointment," because a high percentage of sex offenders are likely to reoffend. Attorney Dee Wampler called it a "constitutional conflict," but defended the ruling on First Amendment grounds. It's not clear whether State Senator Norma Champion agreed or disagreed with the ruling. In an interview with KY3, Champion outlined the arguments on each side but did not take a clear stand on the Cole County ruling.

Mo. S.C: Public Employees Can Bargain

From the Associated Press:

Overturning a 60-year legal precedent, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that teachers and other public employees have a constitutional right to engage in collective bargaining with their government employers.

Although governments aren't bound to reach work agreements with labor unions, once they do, they cannot simply back out of the contracts, the Supreme Court said Tuesday.

The court's 5-2 ruling overturned a 1947 Supreme Court decision that had construed a constitutional right to collective bargaining to apply only to private-sector employees.

Gov. Matt Blunt today called the ruling "terrible and reckless."

“This is yet another example of judicial activism, where a court’s action oversteps the bounds of prudent Constitutional interpretation. This reckless decision could force cities and school districts to raise taxes and subject Missourians to the threat of strikes by critical public sector employees," Blunt said in a statement.

“Public sector employees are different than all other employees, and taxpayers should not be bound by collective bargaining agreements. I am disappointed in this terrible ruling and will continue to enact policies to ensure that appropriation authority remains in the hands of the legislature and elected representatives, not judges seeking to legislate from the bench.”

Ky3's Melissa Yeager reports on the issue HERE.