28
January
2022
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11:10 AM
America/Chicago

Legislative Update - Jan. 28, 2022

HOUSE COMMITTEES REVIEW BUDGET, SENATE TALKS CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING 

Monday (1/24/2022) kicked off the third full week of the legislative session.  Having passed congressional redistricting legislation last week, the House is moving forward with committee hearings the state budget and a wide range of regular bills.  In the Senate, committee hearings have begun, but there has been little floor activity (even routine floor activity).  In fact, lengthy debate on the Senate floor about congressional redistricting prompted the cancellation of several committee meetings on Wednesday (1/26), including the Gubernatorial Appointments Committee.  Some of the interim appointees put forward by the governor must be confirmed by the Senate next week or they could be permanently barred from appointment to their current positions.  Article IV, section 51, of the Missouri Constitution provides that, for appointments made during the legislative interim, the “advice and consent” of the Senate must be given within thirty days after the beginning of the regular session.  In these situations, the Senate has traditionally permitted the governor to withdraw and resubmit nominees. 

New bills continue to be filed each legislative day, with a final deadline of March 1, 2022, for bill introduction.  To review bills of interest and check their legislative progress, visit The Missouri Bar’s Legislative Engagement Center.  The bill feeds are organized by subject or practice area and automatically update as legislative actions occur, so bookmark the page and check back regularly.  If you have any questions or comments about specific legislation, please contact Government Relations Counsel at 573-659-2280 or govrel@mobar.org for more information.    

Bar-Initiated Legislative Proposals (2022 Introduced Legislation)

Board of Governors / Executive Committee Actions Taken on Introduced Legislation 

Congressional Redistricting.  On Tuesday (1/25), the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting conducted a public hearing on HCS HB 2117 (click here for a map) and SB 663.  No witnesses testified in favor of either the House or Senate bill, and nine witnesses testified in opposition, expressing their support for a “7-1 map.”  The House version of congressional redistricting would likely maintain the current partisan balance of Missouri’s congressional delegation, with the status of the proposed 2nd Congressional District later in the decade being uncertain.  At the same meeting, the committee approved both bills by votes of 9 to 5 (7 Republicans and 2 Democrats in favor, 3 Republicans and 2 Democrats against).  The following day matters promptly stalled, before the bill was even brought up for debate, with proponents of a “7-1 map” holding the floor for five hours and a lengthy recess before the Senate finally adjourned for the evening.  The Senate adjourned for the legislative week on Thursday.

State Legislative Redistricting.  On January 19, 2022, the House Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission unanimously adopted a plan and map establishing new boundaries for House legislative districts.  The plan has been submitted to the Secretary of State, prior to the deadline of January 23, 2022.  A commission of six appellate judges, two from each district of the Court of Appeals, was appointed by the Supreme Court of Missouri on January 11, 2022.  The appellate commissioners will be responsible for drawing the new senatorial district boundaries, with a final deadline of April 23, 2022.  Candidate filing for the August primary will close on March 29, 2022.    

House Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission Filing – Final House Apportionment Plan
Final Color Differentiated Statewide Map
Individual House District Maps
OA Interactive Mapping Application
 

COMMITTEE HEARINGS OF INTEREST

SENATE

The Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee met on January 24, 2022, and held public hearings on the following bills:

  • SB 766 (Luetkemeyer), changing the period of detention on arrest without a warrant to 48 hours – Witnesses
  • SB 799 (Hegeman), modifying the offense of escaping from custody – Witnesses
  • SB 850 (Bean), modifying provisions relating to criminal laws – Witnesses

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

  • SB 765 (Luetkemeyer), relating to offenses against police dogs     
    Do Pass by a vote of 4 to 1
  • SB 664 (Bernskoetter), relating to eligibility for parole                
    Do Pass by a vote of 4 to 1

The Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee met on January 25, 2022, and held public hearings on the following bills:

  • SB 685 (May), modifying provisions relating to the suspension of licenses for failure to comply with a child support order – Witnesses
  • SB 689 (Williams), modifying provision relating to peace officer standards – Witnesses
  • SB 761 (Brown), creating provisions relating to fees paid to the Missouri State Highway Patrol – Witnesses
  • SB 762 (Brown), modifying provisions relating to motor vehicle registration – Witnesses
  • SB 785 (Eslinger), modifying provision relating to limitations on certain commercial motor vehicles – Witnesses

The Senate Select Committee on Redistricting met on January 25, 2022, and held public hearings on the following bills:

  • HCS HB 2117 (Shaul), creating provisions for redistricting federal congressional by seats according to the 2020 census – Witnesses
  • SB 663 (Bernskoetter), establishing new congressional districts – Witnesses

The committee took action on same bills in executive session:

  • HCS HB 2117                                                                           
    Do Pass by a vote of 9 to 5
  • SCS SB 663                                                                              
    Do Pass by a vote of 9 to 5

The Senate Committee on Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight met January 27, 2022, and conducted a public hearing on the following bill:

  • SB 819 (Bernskoetter), modifying provisions relating to certain employees regulating gaming – No Witnesses

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

  • SB 669 (White)
    Do Pass by a vote of 5 to 1
  • SCS 674 (Hough)
    Do Pass by a vote of 6 to 0
  • SCS 772 (May)
    Do Pass by a vote of 5 to 2
     

HOUSE

The House Crime Prevention Committee met on January 24, 2022 and took action on the following bills in executive session:

  • HB 1589 – Rep. Travis Fitzwater (R – Holts Summit)                       
    Do Pass by a vote of 6 to 1
  • HB 1637 – Rep. Adam Schwadron (R – St. Charles)                         
    Do Pass by a vote of 6 to 1
  • HCS HB 1703 – Rep. Lane Roberts (R – Joplin)                               
    Do Pass by a vote of 8 to 1

The House General Laws Committee met on January 24, 2022, and held public hearings on the following bills:

  • HB 1613 (Lovasco), establishing provisions relating to asset forfeiture
  • HB 1611 (Sassmann), requiring candidates for office in political subdivisions to declare a political party affiliation and for that affiliation to be printed on the ballot
  • HB 2143 (Kalberloh), changing the laws regarding cemetery trust funds to allow use of principal funds in certain situations
  • HB 2289 (Andrews), changing the law regarding advertisements and orders of publication in newspapers
  • HB 2310 (McDaniel), designating July 2 of each year as Mormon War Remembrance Day

The House Judiciary Committee met on January 25, 2022, and held public hearings on the following bills:

  • HB 1861 (Eggleston), creating provision relating to COVID-19 vaccination status with respect to organ transplant procedures – Witnesses 
  • HB 1575 (Wiemann), requiring natural immunity to be considered equivalent to vaccine-induced immunity for viral infections – Witnesses 
  • HB 2093 (Wiemann), prohibiting workplace vaccination programs – Witnesses 
  • HB 1465 (Schnelting),  prohibiting certain vaccine mandates – Witnesses 
  • HB 1617 (Van Schoiack), creating provisions relating to vaccination requirements – Witnesses
  • HB 1543 (McGirl), prohibiting places of public accommodation from requiring vaccination against COVID-19 in order to access services – Witnesses
  • HB 1544 (McGirl), prohibiting employers from requiring their employees to receive a vaccination against COVID-19 – Witnesses 
  • HB 1485 (Kelley), creating provisions relating to exemptions from employer vaccination requirements – Witnesses 
  • HB 1769 (Lewis), prohibiting entities receiving state funding from requiring COVID-19 vaccination or proof of such vaccination of their employees or customers – Witnesses 
  • HB 2055 (Lewis), creating provisions relating to COVID-19 vaccine requirements – Witnesses 
  • HB 1635 (Seitz), creating provisions relating to public health – Witnesses 
  • HB 1665 (Seitz), modifying provisions relating to immunizations – Witnesses
  • HB 1670 (Seitz), creating provisions relating to the COVID-19 vaccines – Witnesses 
  • HB 1691 (Boggs), prohibiting the state and political subdivisions from contracting with employers or companies that engage in discrimination against unvaccinated persons – Witnesses 
  • HB 1692 (Boggs), creating provision relating to employer liability for injuries from required immunizations – Witnesses 
  • HB 1475 (Schroer), prohibiting educational institutions from mandating COVID-19 vaccines or gene therapy treatments – Witnesses 
  • HB 1624 (Schroer), creating provisions relating to COVID-19 tests and vaccinations – Witnesses 
  • HB 1904 (Murphy), creating provisions relating to COVID-19 vaccination equivalency cards – Witnesses 
  • HB 1762 (Sander), creating provisions relating to the return of fines or other monetary penalties for the violation of COVID-19 health orders – Witnesses 

The following individuals testified generally in opposition to sixteen of the nineteen COVID-related bills:

  • Kara Corches, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Nikki Strong, Missouri Health Care Association
  • Shannon Cooper, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
  • David Overfelt, Missouri Retailers Association, Missouri Grocers’ Association, Missouri Tire Deals and Re-treaders Association
  • Ray McCarty, Associated Industries of Missouri

The House Public Safety Committee met on January 25, 2022, and held public hearings on the following bills:

  • HB 1656 (Hicks), specifying that no political subdivision can require its employees to reside within a jurisdiction – Witnesses 
  • HB 2154 (Perkins), changing the law regarding cities’ ability to regulate fire hydrants – Witnesses 
  • HB 2193 (Toalson Reisch), modifying provisions relating to the re-employment of members of Missouri Task Force One who are called to active duty – Witnesses 
  • HB 2381 (Roden), modifying provisions relating to emergency medical dispatchers – Witnesses 

The Committee took action on the following bill in executive session:

  • HJR 100 (Richey)               
    Do Pass by a vote of 6 to 0

The House Judiciary Committee met on January 26, 2022, and held a public hearing on the following bills:

  • HB2414 (Trent), establishing the Correctional Center Nursery Program – Witnesses
  • HB 1876 (Haffner), modifying provisions for eminent domain for utility purposes – Witnesses

The Committee took action on the following bills in executive session:

  • HCS HB 1897 & HB 2414 (DeGroot)                                               
    Do Pass by a vote of 11 to 0
  • HCS HB 2358 (Evans)                                                                    
    Do Pass by a vote of 10 to 1
  • HB 1713 (Riley)                                                                             
    Do Pass by a vote of 9 to 2
  • HCS HB 1686 (Hardwick)                                                               
    Do Pass by a vote of 6 to 4