Perhaps because he dropped his own bid for governor, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder appears to be enjoying his stint as the state’s stand-in chief executive while Gov. Matt Blunt is in Montreal.

This afternoon, e-releases from Kinder’s office announced that he’d signed two bills into law:

–In Springfield, Kinder signed House Bill 1380, which “allows a board of directors formed under a Senior Services Fund tax, to provide money to senior-related programs for operational and capital needs from property taxes collected.”

–In Dexter, Mo., he signed House Bill 1313, which “requires the Commissioner of the Office of Administration to give preference to certain disabled veterans doing business as Missouri companies when awarding state contracts.”

Kinder also ”mobilized ten Missouri National Guard Liaison Officers to support emergency response coordination.”

“Counties along the Mississippi river are in grave danger of severe flooding as they continue to experience heavy rain and relentless weather conditions,” Kinder explained in a release.  “By mobilizing these National Guard liaison officers, we are taking specific precautionary measures to ensure affected communities’ protective needs are top priority…”

And Monday afternoon in Clayton, he’s slated to sign two more bills into law:

–Senate Bill 718, “an initiative to expand the Quality Jobs Act”;

–Senate Bill 720, “a bill that will protect Missouri seniors from the dangers of summer heat.”