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Final Week in the House: Thursday, May 13

During the last week of the session, The Missouri Times will bring you updates of floor activity for each chamber. Below is all the activity in the House from Thursday, May 13. For live updates on the Senate, click here.


House stands in recess

Shortly before midnight, the House stood in recess.


SCR 6, restrict adding justices to the Supreme Court, taken up


SB 323, elementary and secondary education, third read and passed 

The bill was third read and passed 105-26.


SB 327, protections or children, third read

This bill from Sen. Andrew Koenig includes tax credits. It also includes other provisions related to children as well as an emergency clause. It was third read and passed 125-13.


SB 202, electrical co-ops, third read and passed 

SB 202 enacts various new utility provisions, including one allowing utilities to apply to issue securitization bonds. The House is attempting to add eminent domain language to it.


SB 45, firefighters, TAFP

Sen. Lincoln Hough’s SB 45 would allow three or more subdivisions to establish a Voluntary Firefighter Cancer Benefits Pool to provide assistance to firefighters based on their diagnosis. The bill is carried by Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann in the House.

Rep. Shane Roden, who sponsored similar attempts over the years, said the bill didn’t go far enough to ensure help for firefighters and said it would be better served through a worker’s compensation program. Other lawmakers are looking to make adjustments next session, noting it was a step in the right direction.

The bill passed 151-0.


SB 46, transportation, third read and passed

The bill includes a myriad of transportation provisions, from a left-on-red portion to regulations on farm vehicles, personalized license plates, and vaccination passports. It was laid over earlier Thursday.

A new amendment would clean up the language, with other simple tweaks and small provisions attached, from alternative fuel decals to

An amendment to the amendment from Rep. Josh Hurlbert includes four bills from fellow legislators altering motor clubs, emissions inspections in Jefferson County, and historic cars. Legislators discussed the implications of a section that would allow fee office contracts to be extended by two years if the Department of Revenue fails to execute contracts due to COVID-19.

The bill passed 110-31.


SCR 4, federal government, TAFP

SCR 4 would extend the sunset for a resolution on a convention of the states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution under Article V. Per the resolution, the states would assemble to consider fiscal restraints for the federal government as well as limitations on its power and term limits for federal officials and members of Congress.

The resolution would scrub the five-year sunset attached to a version passed in 2017. The issue passed the Senate last month.

Rep. Peter Merideth inquired of handler Rep. Curtis Trent, recalling partisan splits over the issue in the past.

In a rare collaboration, Sens. Rasheen Aldridge and Brian Seitz encouraged the body to vote against the measure; Seitz said that while he supported the idea of change, he feared the resolution opened the constitution to drastic changes beyond the scope of American society.

After an hour on the floor, the resolution passed 89-64.


The House recessed at 5:18 p.m. and reconvened at 6:34 p.m. 


SB 44, utilities, third read and passed

The bill would allow water and sewer companies to request rate changes more often. Under current law, utilities go to the Public Service Commission (PSC) for a rate adjustment on a three-year cycle. The legislation would allow companies serving more than 8,000 customers to request a slight increase every six months through a water and sewer infrastructure rate adjustment (WSIRA) to keep up with the conditions of equipment and speed up cost recovery.

A myriad of utility-related language was added in the upper chamber, and a clarifying amendment was added in the House.

The bill passed 103-41.


SB 4, transportation, third read and passed

The bill covers a bevy of transportation measures, from memorial roads to voter registration. The bill failed on third reading earlier this month. Handler Rep. Rick Francis said other amendments would follow.

The body voted to reconsider the motion 142-9.

An amendment from Francis cleaned up several aspects of the bill, removing a controversial attempt to name a road after the late radio host Rush Limbaugh and clarifying language around vehicle insurance policies. An ethanol fuel tax credit was also removed.

Another amendment would require food delivery services to file notices of formation with the Secretary of State and would disallow them to use the likeness of unassociated restaurants, among other restrictions.

The bill passed 93-64. An emergency clause was also rejected after Francis made a tongue-in-cheek adoption motion.


SB 43, health care, third read and passed

Rep. Ann Kelly moved tongue in cheek for the adoption of the House substitute, hoping to add an extension of the federal reimbursement allowances (FRA) to the bill. Similar attempts have already been made this week.

Capitol Briefs: FRA extension passes House as amendment

The underlying language of the bill allows Medicaid to cover hearing aids for children under 18 years of age; various provisions on health and public safety were added in committee.

The bill passed 145-5.


HB 432, Birth Match Program, TAFP

The bill would establish a Birth Match Program, in addition to several programs added by the Senate. After bipartisan support on the floor, the bill passed 143-0. An emergency clause was adopted 147-1.


HBs 557 and 560, protection of children, TAFP with emergency clause 

The bill would require exempt-from-licensure residential care facilities to notify the Department of Social Services of their existence and comply with the department’s standards.  It would also require background checks for employees and outline procedures to investigate allegations of abuse.

Celebrity Paris Hilton was among the supporters of the bill in committee.

Senators hear testimony, including from Paris Hilton, on reform school protections

The bill passed 147-1.

An emergency clause was adopted 151-2.


Rule 22 suspended

Rule 22 was suspended to allow conference committees to continue meeting while the House conducts its business.


The House recessed at 1:34 and returned at 2:38.  


SB 46, transportation, sent to the calendar

The bill includes a myriad of transportation provisions, from a left-on-red portion to regulations on farm vehicles, personalized license plates, and vaccination passports.

Missouri lawmakers move to ban vaccine passports — but what are they?

An amendment from handler Rep. Alex Riley would strip language creating a Motor Vehicle Administration Technology Fund that would garner funds from vehicle dealer fees after colleagues voiced their concerns off the floor. Another from Rep. Ron Hicks covered the regulation of historic vehicles.

Another amendment would create a Time-Critical Diagnosis Committee to examine ways to expedite care for victims of strokes and other critical health issues.

A proposition curbing penalties for drivers guilty of minor traffic violations from Rep. Shamed Dogan would remove language granting offenders limited driving privileges rather than a full revocation of their license. Several members spoke against its gentler handling of offenders and a perceived blow to the power of the judiciary branch.

Rep. Ashley Aune spoke against the amendment as well as the vaccine passport language in the underlying bill; the issue has been controversial in both chambers this session.

Rep. Rasheen Aldridge said passing the bill without the amendment could kill an otherwise “good bill” when passed back to the Senate. After a PQ from the assistant majority floor leader, the amendment was adopted 85-65 and the bill returned to the calendar.


HB 734, Missouri Electricity Bill Reduction Act, TAFP

The bill would allow electrical corporations to issue bonds to finance energy transition costs, known as securitization, among a myriad of other utility-related language. Other provisions would allow eclectic cooperatives to continue holding remote annual meetings for the next year and alter real property value regulations.

A similar effort passed the upper chamber recently.

Cierpiot leads bipartisan collaboration on vital utility legislation 

Rep. Bill Kidd, chair of the House Utilities Committee, decried a provision tying the PSC’s hands on approving requests to retire coal-generating facilities, an issue the sponsor said was accounted for in other language included in the bill.

The bill passed 146-4. 


SB 64, needle exchange program, refuse to concur

Rep. Phil Christofanelli moved for the House to refuse to recede on its position for SB 64 and grant the Senate a conference thereon.


SB 153, Wayfair, refuse to concur

Rep. J. Eggleston moved for the House to refuse to recede on its position for SB 53 and grant the Senate a conference thereon.


SB 53 and 60, administration of justice, TAFP with emergency clause

Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer’s SB 53 would prohibit the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners from enacting residency requirements more restrictive than 30 miles outside of the city limit and would require officers to live within the state of Missouri. The bill includes a bevy of changes to law enforcement beyond the city, increasing the crime of doxxing a police officer to a Class E felony and requiring fingerprints for the state and federal Rap Back programs. 

The bill also includes legislation from Sen. Brian Williams prohibiting the use of chokeholds by police officers in response to the death of George Floyd last summer.

The latest version includes “Raise the Age” language, including 17-year olds in the juvenile justice system. Rep. Mark Ellebracht applauded the majority party’s cooperation in pushing the bipartisan package forward.

Rep. Suzie Pollock spoke against the measure, calling it “Christmas tree” legislation and pointing to pay raises for sheriffs as a detriment to counties. Other Republicans, including Rep. Danny Busick, voiced their concerns about the increase.

Members on both sides of the aisle spoke in support of the bill; Rep. Justin Hill, a member of the bill’s conference committee, noted conferees from both chambers made compromises and passed the bill unanimously.

With the bipartisan nature of the bill noted, the body passed it 140-4.

An emergency clause on the Raise the Age portion was adopted 151-1.


The House gavels in

The legislative day began at 10:15 a.m.


Henderson vying for Speaker Pro tem

Rep. Mike Henderson announced his intention to run for Speaker Pro Tem Thursday.

“I have found with age comes wisdom but more so age allows us to speak up when necessary without fear of the consequences and to listen when necessary,” Henderson said. “I have found that we learn more from listening to people than from trying to lead them where they do not want to go.”

Mike Henderson joins House Speaker Pro Tem race


SB 51, COVID liability, out of committee

A bill that would protect certain businesses, accommodations, and activities from being held liable for exposure to COVID-19 unless a plaintiff could clearly prove the entity or individual acted in willful or reckless conduct that caused exposure to the virus passed the House Rules – Legislative Oversight Committee Thursday morning.

The bill previously failed to pass the committee, but the vote was reconsidered earlier this month. Executive session on the measure was postponed three times before the committee voted it out.