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Parson signs treatment court legislation into law

On Wednesday Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed into law House Bill 2 in Springfield at the Greene County Historic Courthouse and in Clay County at James S. Rooney Justice Center in Liberty.

Passed during a special legislative session called by the governor in September, HB 2 is legislation related to drug treatment courts. It will place all treatment courts under one regulatory umbrella and allow jurisdictions that do not have a treatment court to transfer a defendant to a jurisdiction that does. The state commission that oversees treatment courts will also be expanded by two members. The original bill was filed by Representative Kevin Austin, R-Springfield.

During a previous visit to Springfield, Parson said, “The future of Missouri will depend on alternative sentencing. I’m not interested in building any more prisons as Governor of the State of Missouri. I am not. I am more interested in getting people through alternative sentencing and getting them into the workforce.”

Judge Peggy Davis, a member of the Greene County Drug Courts Coordinating Commission, said, “We are thrilled Governor Parson is choosing Greene County to sign this important legislation because in this area we are seeing firsthand the real benefits of drug treatment court programs. We are making a real difference with these programs and this legislation is going to continue to help us build on those best practices and work together to achieve the best outcomes.”

Next week, Governor Parson will sign into law House Bill 3, which deals with computer science, expanding course opportunities for high school students, creating a certification process for teachers, establishing a fund for any future public and private financial support, and developing curriculum standards.