WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 04/22/2024

April 23, 2024

The Mood at the Capitol

The days are counting down for the 2024 Missouri legislative session. The bill tally is not increasing but the tension certainly is. Last week the Senate adjourned abruptly on Tuesday and took a “30 minute” recess that lasted for 6 hours on Wednesday. By the end of the week they had passed out two controversial pieces of legislation, and narrowly avoided protracted debates in the process. The Senate still has to work on the Budget and a key piece of legislation called the “Federal Reimbursement Authorization” which funds hospitals. There is also a long list of Gubernatorial appointments that still need to be confirmed before May 17. It’s expected that the total number of bills passed this year will be under 50. Last year the legislature passed 57 total bills, including 20 budget bills. We think we will beat that record this year.

voting rights

SJR 74 (Coleman) is on the House perfection calendar. This means that it can be brought up at any point. As a reminder, because it is a Senate bill that was amended in the House it must return to the Senate for debate. The Democrats have already promised that they will filibuster the bill if the ballot candy remains on. The bill will likely pass out of the House with all the ballot candy on it. The main issue now is the Senate. Without a budget passed, which the Freedom Caucus has already threatened to slow down and possibly filibuster, the likelihood of a motion to move the previous question (PQ) becomes increasingly plausible. In order to have a PQ, 5 senators must sign on to bring the motion to the floor and 18 senators must vote in favor. They will need 3 consecutive PQ votes to force a bill through. The problem is once that door is opened, it will likely be the end of the Senate for this year as all bills coming through will have to go through the same process. Once they do the first PQ, more are likely to follow. Once the final House vote is done, we encourage everyone to contact their Senator and urge them to say no to a PQ and vote down the bill. Many of these will be at the last minute so please closely monitor for any action alerts from MOVPC. 


On Monday, 4/22, the House Elections Committee will hold their likely final committee meeting to vote on the two Presidential Preference Primary bills, HB 1525 (Bucheit-Courtway) and HB 2895 (Gregory). We are expecting that both of these bills will pass out of committee but will likely go no further as there simply isn’t enough time to get them through. However, having a vote on these bills is very important and will likely help us in the future.


During what was the final public hearing, we heard HB 1445 by Representative Jaime Johnson. This bill would designate the general election day as a state holiday. Most members of the committee were on board with the idea although there were some concerns regarding the fiscal note that had its own issues. All-in-all it was good that we are talking about it and we are pushing for it to be heard earlier next year.


During the hearing this last week, Chairwoman Peggy McGaugh stated that it was the last meeting of the House Elections committee for public testimony. Because it was the final time, Chairwoman McGaugh allowed Ranking Minority Party member Joe Adams to the Chair the committee as a sign of respect. Representative Adams did a fantastic job and served his constituents and the state very well. Rep. Adams is unfortunately termed out but his legacy will live on as we continue to fight the good fight. We would like to thank everyone who came down to Jefferson City to testify in person and those who took time to send testimony. We couldn’t have done this without all of your support.

criminal justice

The comprehensive crime bills, HB1659 had a hearing last week. It’s expected to be voted out of the Senate Committee this week. The bill is an attempt to re-pass provisions from last year’s vetoed comprehensive crime bill, SB189 (2023). We have asked for amendments to be added, including informant transparency, closing the death penalty judicial loophole, and caps on phone fees.


The comprehensive corrections bill, HB1777, was finally referred to Judiciary. The hearing will likely take place next Monday. The current bill has a lot of good provisions and a few bad ones. We are working with the Judiciary Chair, the bill sponsor, and the Senate handler on what the final bill will look like.

 

A bill that would reduce the use of the death penalty, HB2468, was voted out of the House General Laws Committee. The bill is now stuck waiting for a referral to a House Rules Committee by Speaker Plocher. We are not hopeful the referral will happen, but are working on attaching the language to another bill. The good news is, we have a strong vote count of House members who support the concept that the death penalty should be rarely imposed and only by a unanimous jury. A slightly smaller number is supportive of repealing the death penalty altogether. This is language that is likely to at least pass the House next year.


The informant transparency bills (HB2648 & SB1271), will be offered as an amendment on bills in the Senate before the end of session. While the prosecutors continue to drag their feet on working with us to find a compromise, we will continue to push forward. 

upcoming hearings

Senate-Select Committee on Empowering Missouri Parents and Children

  • SB1125 (Brown) Prohibits public institutions of postsecondary education from requiring the submission of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

calls to action

  • 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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