Mo. House panel to study money for 911 service

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A special Missouri House committee will study ways to raise money to improve 911 emergency systems across the state.

House Speaker Steven Tilley said he created the interim committee because some local 911 call centers lack the equipment needed to trace wireless phone calls - and they also lack the funding to purchase it.

Missouri is the only state without a statewide fee or tax for wireless 911 service. Voters have twice rejected ballot measures to raise taxes for 911 service, and bills also have died in the Legislature that would have allowed local governments to impose 911 fees on cell phones.

Committee Chairman Chuck Gatschenberger, of Lake St. Louis, says he plans four meetings. The panel is to submit recommendations by the end of the year.