JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Pre-filing for the Missouri General Assembly began yesterday, with the House contributing 58 bill proposals and 3 House Joint Resolutions (HJRs) for proposed constitutional amendments. The majority of the legislations are an echo of bills filed last session or direct responses to the civil unrest in Ferguson.
The HJRs filed are also a repeat of legislation seen in the past few sessions, including a voter identification legislation from Rep. Tony Dugger (R-Hartville) and two “paycheck protection” proposals by Rep. Bill Lant (R-Pineville) – one (HJR2) addressing private employees and “right to work” and the other (HJR3) addressing public employees.
Of the 17 representatives who sponsored pre-filed bills, two dominated sponsorships. Rep. Rochelle Walton-Gray (D-Black Jack) pre-filed 14 legislations, most of which address education, law enforcement, and government accountability. Dugger, who is responsible for sponsoring over 5% of legislation passed last session, pre-filed 8 bills, many of which deal with elections.
Three separate legislations were pre-filed that, if passed, would require uniformed policy officers to wear body cams.
If passed, the HJRs would send the initiative to the 2016 ballot for public approval.
Legislation can continue to be filed through February 26, 2015.
The Missouri Times will be reporting on individual bills as they come in. To stay up to date on bills that have been filed, go to http://www.house.mo.gov/billlist.aspx.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.