Legislative Update: General Assembly begins review of governor's proposed budget

General Assembly

The General Assembly reconvened on Monday, January 23, 2023, for a full legislative week.  Floor action consisted of routine matters, as committees in both chambers heard legislation previously identified by House and Senate leadership as priorities for the 2023 Regular Session. 

To date, legislators have introduced 1,636 bills and joint or concurrent resolutions.  Filings continue to rise each year, and over a month remains until the final day for introduction of regular legislation (Wednesday, March 1, 2023).    

Of the introduced legislation, 122 bills and joint resolutions have been referred to House committees for consideration, and 156 bills and joint resolutions have been referred to Senate committees.  In the Senate four bills have been reported out of committee and placed on the Formal Calendar – Senate Bills for Consideration: 

• SB 3 (Hoskins ) – Establishes the Regulatory Sandbox Act
• SB 4 (Koenig) – Modifies provisions regarding transparency in public schools and creates the Parents' Bill of Rights Act of 2023
• SB 25 (Hough) – Authorizes an income tax deduction for certain federal grant money
• SB 51 (Eslinger) – Modifies provisions relating to physical therapists

In the House, four bills have been voted out from substantive committees and referred to one of three rules committees (a preliminary step before placement on a calendar for floor debate): 

• HB 713 (Reedy) – Modifies provisions relating to motor vehicle assessment valuations
• HJR 30 (Lewis) – Modifies provisions for amending the constitution
• HJR43 (Henderson) – Modifies provisions for initiative petitions and referendums

To see more bills of interest, organized by subject or practice area, visit The Missouri Bar’s Legislative Engagement Center (and bookmark the page).  These bills of interest feeds are automatically updated with the latest status of the bills listed and provide links to individual bill webpages.  The bills of interest listed at the end of this update are just a sample of those already introduced this year, many of which could significantly impact the administration of justice, the integrity of the judiciary, or the dignity of the profession of law.    If you have any questions or comments about specific legislation, please contact Government Relations staff at 573-659-2280 or govrel@mobar.org for more information.   

Bar-Initiated Legislative Proposals (2023 Introduced Legislation)

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget

The FY2024 Executive Budget has been submitted to the General Assembly.  The FY2024 Budget in Brief and the FY2024 Executive Budget are available online. 

The House Budget Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee are considering the governor’s FY2023 Early Supplemental Recommendation (HB 14).  House Bill 14 includes recommendations for an 8.7% cost of living adjustment in the state employee pay plan, which would encompass the judicial branch and the Office of State Public Defender.  One or more additional FY23 supplemental bills will likely be filed.  The judiciary has requested almost $2.5 million in FY23 supplemental funding relating to the implementation of Amendment 3 (marijuana constitutional amendment) for technology-related programming costs and personal services (temporary staff and overtime).   

At the same time, the House appropriations subcommittees and the Senate Appropriations Committee are conducting preliminary hearings on the FY2024 budget requests.  In addition to core funding, the FY2024 Judiciary Budget Request includes the following:

• $11.9 million for compensation (21st Century Workforce Compensation Plan, judicial and other salaries based on a projected federal salary increase of 4.6%, court reporter salary increases, a new associate circuit judge in St. Charles County, and reimbursable family court commissioners in Jackson County and St. Louis County)
• $345,775 for interpreters in civil court proceedings
• $988,521 for security upgrades for the Court of Appeals
• $3.8 million for Supreme Court Building and Supreme Court Library restoration and renovation
• $ 4.5 million for ongoing marijuana initiative implementation   

Information about the FY2024 Public Defender Budget Request is also available online.   

COMMITTEE HEARINGS OF INTEREST

Senate

N.B.:  The “Witnesses” links for Senate committees will lead to the “Committee Minutes” page of the relevant committee.  On the “Committee Minutes” page, scroll to the appropriate bill number in the middle column of the page and click the “View” button.

The Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee met on January 23, 2023, and held public hearings on the following legislation:

• SB 22 (Bernskoetter), modifying provisions relating to eligibility for parole – Witnesses
   
• SB 72 (Trent), establishing the Judicial Privacy Act, which provides restrictions on the use of a judicial officer’s personal information – Witnesses
  
  Support: Hon. Margaret T. Donnelly (Circuit Judge, 21st Judicial Circuit), Hon. J. Dale Youngs (Circuit Judge, 16th Judicial Circuit), Greg Linhares (Clerk of the Court, United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri), Eric Jennings (The Missouri Bar), Patricia Churchill (Judicial Conference of Missouri), David Klarich (Missouri Circuit Judges Association), Ward Cook (Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys)
  
  Informational Purposes: Megan Crane (MacArthur Justice Center)
   
• SB 117 (Luetkemeyer), modifying provisions relating to civil actions, including statutes of limitations and liability for private contractors of a public entity – Witnesses
  
  Oppose: Jennifer Placzek, Chris Finney, Brett Emison, Bill Carr, and Amy Gunn (Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys); Lisa Pannett; Pam Buttram; Patty Meier
  
  Support:  Dana Frese (Health Care Services Group, Missouri Association of Defense Lawyers and Missouri Hospital Association); Dale Williams (Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association); Michael Henderson (Missouri Insurance Coalition) ; Steve Jackson (N.B. West Contracting); Steven Bubanovich (H.R. Quadri Contractors and Association of General Contractors); Sean Thouvenot (Branco Enterprises); Heidi Sutherland (Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry); Ray McCarty (Associated Industries); David Overfelt (Missouri Retailers Association), Brad Jones (NFIB); Rich AuBuchon (Missouri Civil Justice Reform Coalition, BNSF Railway, The Doctors Company, APCIA, Kansas City Chiefs); Jorgen Schlemeier (American Tort Reform Association); Doug Galloway (Ford Motor Company); Jaqueline Bardgett (State Farm Insurance); Michael Gibbons (Enterprise Leasing); Tom Crawford (Missouri Trucking Association)
   

The Senate Appropriations Committee met on January 24, 2023, to hear an overview of the Governor’s FY 2024 Budget Recommendations.

The Senate Appropriations Committee met on January 25, 2023, to review the Department of Corrections Budget Recommendations.

The Senate General Laws Committee met on January 25, 2023, and held public hearings on the following legislation:

• SB 21 (Bernskoetter), modifying the duration of unemployment benefits based on the unemployment rate – Witnesses
   
• SB 109 (Bernskoetter), modifying provisions relating to mining – Witnesses
   
• SB 116 (Justin Brown), modifying provisions relating to the disposition of the dead - Witnesses

House

The House Budget Committee met on January 23, 2023, for presentations by the Office of Administration and Departments regarding the emergency supplemental budget, regular supplemental budget, and the American Rescue Plan Act budget. 

Archived Video of Committee Hearing

The House Judiciary Committee met on January 23, 2023, and held public hearings on the following legislation:

• HB 52 (Copeland), modifying provisions relating to the release of a person from prison – Electronic Witness Forms
  
  Support: Brent Hemphill (Coalition of Surety Agents of Missouri); James Harris (Missouri Alliance of Professional Bail Bond Agents)
   
• HB 90 (Veit), modifying the expiration dates for provisions relating to court automation – Electronic Witness Forms
  
  Support: Betsy Aubuchon (Clerk of the Supreme Court of Missouri); Eric Jennings (The Missouri Bar)
   
• HB 537 (Keathley), modifying the compensation of court reporters – Electronic Witness Forms
  
  Support: Kathy Foley (Executive Director, Missouri Court Reporters Association); Melissa Hannah (Court Reporter); David Klarich (Missouri Court Reporters Association)
   
• HB 663 (Evans), modifying provisions relating to funding for the Office of State Public Defender – Electronic Witness Forms
  
  Support: Mary Fox (Executive Director of the Missouri State Public Defender)

Archived Video of Committee Hearing

The House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee met on January 26, 2023, and held a public hearing on the following legislation:

• HB 301 (Roberts), modifying and establishing provisions relating to public safety  
  
  Oppose: Locke Thompson (Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys)
  
  Support: Kara Corches (Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry); Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft; David Overfelt (Missouri Retailers Association, Missouri Grocers’ Association, Missouri Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association); Jane Dueker (St. Louis Police Officers Association, St. Louis County Police Association, Missouri Fraternal Order of Police)
  
  Informational Purposes: Gregory Smith (Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers)

Legislative Dates to Remember

First Regular Session

Veto Session