Legislative update: March 29, 2024

After the General Assembly returned from spring recess on Monday, March 25, HB 1886 (Veit), which modifies provisions relating to judicial proceedings and is a 2024 Missouri Bar-initiated legislative proposal, was voted do pass by the Missouri House of Representatives on March 26.

The final day for floor action on regular (non-appropriations) bills will be May 17. Most of the bills are passed by the General Assembly in the final two weeks of session.

As part of this “Legislative update,” The Missouri Bar government relations department is providing additional details on the FY 2025 budget, including the budget bills and the agencies and expenditures included within each:

2025 budget

HB 2002: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

HB 2003: Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development

HB 2004: Missouri Departments of Revenue and Transportation

HB 2005: Missouri Office of Administration, Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Department of Public Safety, and the Chief Executive’s Office

HB 2006: Missouri Department of Agriculture, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and Missouri Department of Conservation

HB 2007: Missouri Department of Economic Development, Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance, and Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

HB 2008: Missouri Department of Public Safety and Missouri National Guard

HB 2009: Missouri Department of Corrections

HB 2010: Missouri Department of Mental Health and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

HB 2011: Missouri Department of Social Services

HB 2012: Chief Executive’s Office and Missouri Governor’s Mansion; Missouri lieutenant governor; Missouri secretary of state; Missouri state auditor; Missouri state treasurer; Missouri attorney general; Missouri Prosecuting Attorneys and Circuit Attorneys Retirement Systems; the Judiciary; the Missouri Office of the State Public Defender; and the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives

HB 2013: Real property leases; related services; utilities; systems furniture; structural modifications; and related expenses for the several departments of state government

HB 2015: Supplemental purposes for the several departments and offices of state government

HB 2016: Supplemental purposes for the several departments and offices of state government

HB 2017: Capital improvement and other purposes for the departments and offices of state government

HB 2018: Purchase of equipment; and planning, expenses, and capital improvement projects involving the maintenance, repair, replacement, and improvement of state buildings and facilities

HB 2019: Planning and capital improvements including but not limited to major additions and

   renovations, new structures, and land improvements or acquisitions for state departments

HB 2020: Purchase of equipment; planning expenses; capital improvement projects, including

   major additions and renovation of facility components, equipment or systems for state agencies

FY 2025 tracking – House budget chair substitute

FY 2025 budget amendment log

FY 2025 governor recommendation

FY 2025 department budget requests with governor’s recommendations

2024 introduced legislation

To see legislation that has been introduced, organized by subject matter or practice area, visit The Missouri Bar’s Legislative Engagement Center. The bills are automatically updated with the latest status of the bills listed and provide links to the individual bill webpages. If you have any questions or comments about specific legislation, please contact Missouri Bar government relations staff at 573-659-2280 or govrel@mobar.org for more information.

Bar-initiated legislative proposals (2024 introduced legislation)

Senate

The Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee met on March 25 and held public hearings on the following:

SB 763 and SB 1161 were heard together: Provide for a clean slate

• In support: Americans for Tax Reform; Former Congressman Doug Collins of Georgia; Empower Missouri; Francie Marion single mother ; Faith and Freedom Coalition; St. Louis Chapter of All of Us or None; Powerhouse Community Development Corporation; Kevin Morgan - Save More Ministries; Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity (MORE2); Cortex Lewis with Lean on Me Ministries; Rabbi Doug Alpert with Missouri Workers Center, Stand Up KC; Justice Action Network; Missouri Poor People’s Campaign; Women’s Voices Raised to Social Justice; The Builders - Kansas City Chapter of AGC; Greater St. Louis, Inc; JE Dunn Construction; 3 Daughters and 1000 Sons; Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Expo St. Louis; First Christian Church Jefferson City; Dream.org; Missouri NAACP State Conference; Missouri Catholic Conference; and Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers
• In opposition: Missouri Police Chiefs Association; Missouri Sheriffs United; and Judicial Conference of Missouri (on mechanics of implementation)
• For information: Circuit Clerk Greene County Missouri

SB 763 (Williams): Creates provisions relating to expungement

SB 1161 (Trent)L Creates provisions relating to expungement

SB 1338 (Fitzwater)L Modifies provisions relating to the sexual offender registry

• Moves some Tier 1 offenders to Tier 3 – applies to crimes involving children
• In support: none
• In opposition: Missouri Alliance for Family Restoration and Erik Diehl

SB 1390 (Schroer): Modifies provisions relating to workers' compensation administrative law judges

• Regarding performance audits for ALJs
• In support: Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Associated Industries of Missouri; and Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• In opposition: none

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

SCS SB 1468 (Luetkemeyer): Modifies provisions relating to the condemnation of property

• Do Pass by a vote of 6-1

SB 951 (Moon): Establishes the penalty of death for certain sexual offenses

• Do Pass by a vote of 4-3

The Senate Insurance and Banking Committee met on March 26 and held public hearings on legislation that included the following:

SB 1482 (Crawford): Modifies provisions relating to the Missouri Family Trust Company Act

• In support: Paul Vogel; Missouri Bankers Association; Missouri Secretary of State’s Office; and Arnie Dienoff
• In opposition: none

The Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee met on March 27 and held public hearings on bills including:

SB 738 (Crawford): Modifies or enacts provisions relating to Missouri Department of Revenue fee offices

• Processing fee increase
• In support: Agent Brookfield License Office; License Bureaus in the Bootheel; and Missouri Association of License Offices
• In opposition: none

SB 1257 (Fitzwater): Establishes provisions relating to construction contracts

• Sets time limits to pay sub-contractors
• In support: Titan Carpentry; E Meier Contracting; SITE Improvement Association; St. Louis Chapter; National Electrical Contractors Association; American Subcontractors Association; and TJ Wies Contracting
• In opposition: Associated General Contractors of Missouri; Twehous Excavating Company; Missouri Growth Association; St. Louis Homebuilders Association; and The Builders’ Association/Kansas City Chapter AGC

SB 1315 (Fitzwater): Modifies provisions relating to underground facilities

• Relates to Dig Right Program
• In support: Associated General Contractors of Missouri; Sellenriek Construction; National Utility Locating Contractors Association; SITE Improvement Association; Missouri Common Ground; and Twehous Excavating Company
• In opposition: Ameren Missouri; Missouri American Water; St. Louis Homebuilders Association; Missouri Association of Municipal Utilities; City Utilities of Springfield; Association of Water Districts; Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District; Evergy, Missouri Municipal League; Missouri Natural Gas Association; Brightspeed Broadband; Verizon; Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association; AT&T; Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Missouri Broadband Providers

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

SCS SB 990 (Carter): Enacts provisions relating to transportation for disabled persons

• Do Pass by a vote of 5-0

SB 1374 (Gannon): Creates “Bentley and Mason's Law” relating to restitution payments for certain persons convicted of the offense of driving while intoxicated

• Do Pass by a vote of 5-0

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee met on March 27 and held public hearings on the following:

HCS HBs 1706 and 1539 (Myers): Creates and modifies provisions relating to the protection of children and vulnerable persons

• Tools to help protect children and vulnerable persons; deals with sex trafficking
• In support: Neil Getzlow; Gateway Alliance Against Human Trafficking; The Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri; Missouri Juvenile Justice Association; Missouri Network Against Child Abuse; and Missouri Attorney General’s Office
• In opposition: none

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

SB 1095 (Razer): Modifies provisions relating to abortion

• Do Pass by a vote of 5-1

SB 1245 (Thompson Rehder): Modifies provisions relating to children and vulnerable persons

• Do Pass by a vote of 6-0

SJR 76 (Carter): Modifies provisions relating to MO HealthNet

• Do Pass by a vote of 5-1

SCS SB 1336 (Thompson Rehder): Modifies provisions relating to funding for housing programs

• Do Pass by a vote of 4-2

House

The House Budget Committee met on March 25 to conduct markups of House Committee Substitutes for all budget bills.

Archived video of committee hearing

The House Committee on Children and Families met in executive session on March 26 took action on the following legislation:

HB 2495 (Kelley): Requires that a guardian ad litem who is appointed to a child to have an ethical obligation to that child

• Do Pass by a vote of 8-0, with 1 voting present

HCS HBs 2691 and 2690 (Jones): Establishes and modifies provisions relating to child abuse or neglect

• Do Pass by a vote of 7-1

Archived video of committee hearing

The House Financial Institutions Committee met in executive session on March 26 and took action on legislation that included the following:

HB 2788 (Keathley): Establishes the “Uniform Community Property Disposition at Death Act”

• Do Pass by a vote of 12-0

Archived video of committee hearing

The House Committee on General Laws met on March 26 and held public hearings on legislation including the following:

HB 2468 (Davidson): Modifies provisions relating to trial procedures for murder in the first degree

• Addresses hung juries during the penalty phase
• In support: State Public Defender’s Office; St. Louis Archdiocese Peace and Justice Commission; Empower Missouri; Federal Public Defender’s Office; Missionary Baptist Convention of Missouri; Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty; Conscious Communication Ministries; A Baptist Minister; Missouri Catholic Conference; Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation; Missouri Justice Coalition; and Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• In opposition: none
• Electronic witness forms

HBs 2108 and 2555 were heard together: Creates a more automated expungement system

• In support: Empower Missouri; Jackie Huebbe with SugarBot Sweet Shop; Maria Ortiz; Missionary Baptist State Convention; Criminal Justice Ministry; Christian Coalition; Fran Mary; Power House Community Development Corporation; Missouri Appleseed; Missouri Catholic Conference; Paraquad; Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Missouri Justice Coalition; and Arnie Dienoff
• In opposition: Judicial Conference of Missouri (on the mechanics)
• For information: Circuit Clerk of Greene County

HB 2108 (Christofanelli): Establishes provisions relating to expungement

• Electronic witness forms

HB 2555 (Hicks): Establishes provisions relating to expungement

• Electronic witness forms

 Archived Video of Committee Hearing

The House Judiciary Committee met in executive session on March 27 and took action on the following:

HB 1750 (Haffner): Modifies provisions for eminent domain for utility purposes

• Do Pass