WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 04/01/2024

April 1, 2024

The Mood at the Capitol

This last week the legislature resumed business following a week-long break. The hope was that everyone would return to the capitol refreshed, relaxed, and perhaps leaving the animosity of the previous weeks behind. This was not the case. The same old fights picked up just where they had left off and with seven weeks left in this year’s legislative session, expect the deadlock to get much worse. This is generally a good thing as it means very few bills that could threaten the Seventh Amendment will get through.


The focus of the House this coming week will be entirely on the budget. The legislature is constitutionally required to pass a budget and they are running out of time to get it done. We do not expect much else from the House other than the budget.

student organization discrimination

HB 1518 (Hudson) was second read in the Senate and was referred to the Senate Government Accountability Committee. While it is not the best committee that it could’ve been referred to, it is certainly not the worst. Given the makeup of the committee members, we are not expecting this bill to move with any sense of urgency. We will continue to monitor this bill and will notify you when it is scheduled for a hearing. We are asking folks to send Shira and Robert their stories involving college students and student organizations and how they would be negatively impacted by this bill. Any stories about discrimination by student groups would also be very helpful. 

voting rights

SJR 74 (Coleman) is now scheduled to be voted out of the House Elections Committee on Tuesday, 4/2, at 11:00 AM. As public testimony has closed, they will not accept anymore testimony about the bill. However, we encourage everyone to contact their legislators and the legislators on the House Elections Committee to please vote against this attack on our rights. We will be monitoring the bill for any amendments to reinstate the ballot candy language that was previously on the bill. As a reminder, any changes to the bill will result in the bill being sent back to the Senate where our legislative allies are prepared to block it.


HJR 86 (Black) was debated and perfected in the House this last week. This is another IP Restriction bill that contains all of the ballot candy from SJR 74 and also raises the threshold for a petition to even be placed on the ballot. It still has a final third read vote before it can head to the Senate. Our understanding is that the Senate still wants SJR 74 to be the main IP bill so HJR 86 is unlikely to move if it makes it to the Senate. We will continue to monitor and push back against these attacks on our democracy. During the debate on the House floor, Representative Joe Adams began to give a history lesson on the racist and slavery roots of these restrictions. He was interrupted and told to stop because the discussion was “not about the bill at hand.” This is just another blatant example of racial minorities being ignored and disregarded for bringing up uncomfortable truths. We would like to thank Representative Joe Adams and all House members who stood up to help protect our rights.


SB 1120 (Carter)  is scheduled to be voted out of committee this coming Tuesday at 1:00 pm in the Senate Elections Committee. We are encouraging everyone to contact their Senator and ask them to vote yes on this bill and to reinstate the Presidential Preference Primary.


HB 1749 (Haffner) is scheduled to be voted out of committee this coming Tuesday at 1:00 pm in the Senate Elections Committee. We are encouraging everyone to please contact their Senator and ask them to vote no on this bill. As any changes would send it back to the House, we are monitoring the hearing for any amendments that could derail this legislation.

criminal justice

The comprehensive crime bills, HB1659 and SB754, are still waiting for their committee hearings in the opposite chamber. The bills both attempt to re-pass provisions from last year’s vetoed comprehensive crime bill, SB189 (2023). The bills are slightly different, but both contain more good than bad provisions. The team at JAG is putting together a spreadsheet showing the different provisions of these bills as well as the corrections bills. It will be available at the link below as it is being created.


The comprehensive corrections bill, HB1777, was turned in to the Senate and will likely be referred to Senate Judiciary soon. We have already talked to the bill sponsor and the Senate Judiciary Chair about removing the mandatory minimum sentences language. The language would include convictions that did not result in terms of imprisonment in the calculation for the percentage of a sentence that must be served before being eligible for release. Currently, only prior convictions that resulted in imprisonment are counted when determining this percentage. In addition to issues of justice and over-incarceration, the current overcrowding situation in Missouri is leading to hundreds of unnecessary deaths and violence. The Senate may also be willing to add a few other non-controversial provisions before sending it back to the House for approval. This does make the bill slightly less likely to pass, but is necessary given the harm caused by the Hovis Amendment.


The hearings on the Clean Slate bills, HB2108 and HB2555, went very well. These bills both include automatic expungement for a variety of offenses. There are slight differences between the two, but both are an improvement over the current expungement system in Missouri. The only objections to the Clean Slate concept are related to the burden on the circuit court clerks. The way Missouri’s charging codes work mean that most cases will have to be actually opened and inspected for eligibility. This has been a major problem in relation to the marijuana expungement that passed on the ballot in 2022. The leads on the Clean Slate language are working with the clerks, the Missouri Supreme Court, and the bill sponsor to find solutions to the concern. The bills are scheduled for a committee vote later this week. 

upcoming hearings

  • No Public Hearings Scheduled this Week

calls to action

  • Send thank you note to Representative Alex Riley for holding the hearings on the Clean Slate bills (alex.riley@house.mo.gov).
  • If you have any questions about any of the legislation mentioned here or the legislative program generally, please contact President Chapel or Olivia Pener.

Tracking List

https://govwatch.net/report/M6q8o0GrzR


*This list is continually updated and improved. If you have questions, please contact Sharon Geuea Jones at sharon@jonesadvocacy.com.

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