29
April
2022
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10:20 AM
America/Chicago

Legislative Update for April 29, 2022

TWO WEEKS REMAIN FOR CONSIDERATON OF BILLS

The General Assembly has two weeks remaining for floor consideration of legislation (Friday, May 13, 2022), and it must approve a state budget for Fiscal Year 2023 by Friday, May 6, 2022. 

Current Legislative Status of Bar-Initiated Legislative Proposals (2022 Introduced Legislation)

To review bills of interest and check their legislative progress, visit The Missouri Bar’s Legislative Engagement Center.  The bill feeds or reports are organized by subject or practice area and automatically update as legislative actions occur, so bookmark any page of interest and check back regularly.  If you have questions or comments about specific legislation, please contact Government Relations staff at 573-659-2280 or govrel@mobar.org for more information.   

FLOOR DEBATE

On Tuesday, the Senate truly agreed and finally passed HCS HB 3001, the first of the appropriation bills that comprise the Fiscal Year 2023 operating budget.  HB 3001 provides funds for the costs of issuing state bonds.  In addition to HB 3001, six other bills have been truly agreed to and finally passed and sent to the governor for consideration:

  • HB 1600 (Chipman) – Modifies requirements for retaining legislative employees when the General Assembly is not in session
     
  • HB 1697 (Baker) – Modifies provisions relating to cottage food sales through the Internet
     
  • HB 1725 (Hudson) – Modifies provisions relating to lodging establishments
     
  • HB 2416 (Porter) – Modifies provisions relating to off-premise sales by motor vehicle dealers
     
  • HB 3014 (Smith) – Appropriates supplemental state funding

On the same day, the Senate adopted Senate substitutes and committee substitutes for the additional budget bills:  HB 3002, HB 3003, HB 3004, HB 3005, HB 3006, HB 3007, HB 3008, HB 3009, HB 3010, HB 3011, HB 3012, HB 3013, and HB 3015.  The differences between the House and Senate proposed budgets will be reconciled next week in conference committees, and each chamber will approve the resulting conference committee substitutes. 

In addition to the budget bills, HB 1720 and HB 2149 have also been referred to conference committees. 

The Senate has third read and passed four House bills, returning them to the other chamber with Senate amendments:

  • HB 1667 (Christofanelli) – Creates the “Kratom Consumer Protection Act”
     
  • HB 2627 (Sharp) – Designates four new awareness months
     
  • HB 1552 (Richey) – Modifies provision related to alternative education programs
     
  • HB 2162 (Deaton) – Modifies provisions relating to opioid addiction treatment

The Senate third read and passed SB 798, establishing a “Restaurant Meals Program” as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the elderly and the disabled.  It also third read and passed SB 812, relating to elections.  The Senate adopted a floor substitute for SCS HCS HB 1606 (relating to county officials), along with an additional twenty amendments.  As amended, the floor substitute was referred to the Senate Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee for review before third reading.  The Senate took up SS HCS HBs 2502 & 2556, relating to gaming, but ultimately laid the bill over on the informal calendar without final action.  However, the Senate did perfect SB 987, relating to excursion gambling boat facilities.  In total, the Senate has approved forty-eight bills, joint and concurrent resolutions, and has sent them to the House for consideration.  Of those, thirty-three have been referred to House committees and thirty-three have been reported do pass by House committees.

The House third read and passed HCS SB 820, relating to utilities, adding an additional twelve floor amendments to the bill, including an amendment prohibiting condemning property for merchant electric transmission lines.  Among other House bills, the House also third read a Bar-initiated legislative proposal, HB 2660, relating to alternative dispute resolution, by a vote of 142 to 0.  

SENATE

The Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee met on April 25, 2022, and held public hearings on the following legislation:

  • HCS HB 1699 (Roberts), modifying and establishing provisions relating to domestic violence – Witnesses
    Support: Jennifer Carter Dochlar (Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence)
     
  • HB 1705 (Roberts), establishing procedures for a violent offender registry, which will include any person on probation or parole for first- or second-degree murder – Witnesses 
     
  • HB 2088 (Grier), establishing Earning Safe Reentry Through Work Act of 2021 – Witnesses
    Support: James Harris (Cicero Action); Shannon Cooper (Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce; Carol Mitchell (Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry); Rita Linhardt (Missouri Catholic Conference)

The committee took action on the following legislation in executive session:

  • SCS SB 1018 (Bernskoetter), modifying provisions relating to condemnation proceedings
    Do Pass by a vote of 5 to 0 
     
  • SCS HBs 2697, 1589, 1637 and 2127 (Shaul), establishing the offense of organized retail theft
    Do Pass by a vote of 4 to 2 

The Senate Local Government and Elections Committee met on April 25, 2022, and took action on the following legislation in executive session:

  • SCS HCS HJR 79 (Henderson), relating to the process for amending the law
    Do Pass by a vote of 4 to 2

The Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee met on April 26, 2022, and held public hearings on the followings:

  • SB 1240 (Brattin), establishing the Organized Retail Crime Task Force – Witnesses
    Support: Tom Dempsey (Amazon Services); David Overfelt (Missouri Retailers Association); Kara Corches (Missouri Chamber of Commerce & Industry) 
     
  • HB 1738 (Dogan), modifying an infrastructure designation – Witnesses 
     
  • HB 2694 (Hudson), modifying provisions relating to the assessment of personal property – Witnesses
    Support: David Wood (State Tax Commission); Andy Arnold (Missouri State Assessors Association)

The committee took action on the following legislation in executive session:

  • SB 1162 (Rowden), designating the bridge over the Missouri River Bridge at Jefferson City as the "Senator Roy D. Blunt Bridge"
    Do Pass by a vote of 4 to 0

The Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee met in executive session on April 27, 2022, and took action on the following legislation:

The Senate Seniors, Families, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee met April 27, 2022, and held public hearings on the following legislation:

  • HB 2623 (Veit), modifying provisions relating to background checks for certain individuals – Witnesses
    For Informational Purposes: Linda Leuckenhoff (Missouri State Highway Patrol) 
     
  • HCS HB 2376 (Hannah Kelly), modifying provisions relating to youth services – Witnesses
    Support: Gary Gates (Missouri Park and Recreation Association); David Winton (Epworth Children & Family Services); Jack Gamble (Missouri State Alliance of YMCAs & Special School District of St. Louis County); Craig Stevenson (KidsWin Missouri)
    For Informational Purposes: Mike Wood (Missouri State Teachers Association)
     
  • SB 1216 (Cierpiot), modifying provisions relating to child protection – Witnesses
    For Informational Purposes: Jessica Seitz (Missouri Kids First) 

The committee took action on the following legislation in executive session:

  • SCS HB 2455 (Griffith), requiring the Missouri Veterans Commission to recommend and implement efforts to prevent veteran suicide
    Do Pass by a vote of 7 to 0 
     
  • HB 2193 (Toalson Reisch), modifying provisions relating to the reemployment rights of members of Missouri Task Force One who are called to active duty
    Do Pass by a vote of 7 to 0 
     
  • SCS HCS HB 2012 (Kelly), modifying provisions relating to abortion and MO HealthNet
    Do Pass by a vote of 5 to 2 
     
  • HCS HBs 1897 & 2414 (DeGroot), establishing the Correctional Center Nursery Program
    Do Pass by a vote of 7 to 0

HOUSE

The House Crime Prevention Committee met April 25, 2022, and held a public hearing on the following legislation:

Archived Video of Committee Hearing

The House General Laws Committee met in executive session on April 25, 2022, and took action on the following legislation:

  • HB 2649 (Pollock), creating provisions relating to gender transition procedures
    Do Pass by a vote of 10 to 5 
     
  • SCR 25 (Burlison), applying to Congress for the calling of an Article V convention of the states to propose an amendment to the United States Constitution regarding term limits for members of Congress
    Do Pass by a vote of 8 to 7 

Archived Video of Committee Hearing

The House Public Safety Committee met in executive session on April 26, 2022, and took action on the following legislation:

  • HCS HB 2432 (Roden), returning control of the City of St. Louis Police Department back to the Board of Police Commissioners
    Do Pass by a vote of 5 to 2 

Archived Video of Committee Hearing

The House Crime Prevention Committee met in executive session on April 27, 2022, and took action on the following legislation:

  • HCS SB 799 (Hegeman), modifying the offense of escaping from custody
    Do Pass by a vote of 8 to 2

Archived Video of Committee Hearing

The House Judiciary Committee met on April 28, 2022, and held a public hearing on the following legislation:

  • SB 683 (O’Laughlin), modifying provisions relating to child care – Electronic Witness Forms
    Support: Jessica Petrie (Kids Win MO); Kyna Iman (Missouri Park and Recreation Association)
     
  • SB 968 (Burlison), modifying provisions relating to business entities – Electronic Witness Forms
    Support: Chuck Pierce (Missouri Society of CPAs and Associated Industries of Missouri); Megan Schmidt (The Philanthropy Roundtable); James Harris (The Institute for Free Speech); David Jackson (Mainstreet Employers Corporation)
    For Informational Purposes: Sharon Jones (Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys)

The committee took action on the following legislation in executive session:

  • HB 2624 (Perkins), establishing the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act
    Do Pass by a vote of 5 to 3

Archived Video of Committee Hearing