Criminal Procedure Bill to be Heard by Committee

JEFFERSON CITY —Senator Joseph Keaveny’s criminal procedure bill, Senate Bill 732 will be heard by the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 17, in the Senate Lounge, located on the third floor of the Missouri Capitol.

“This is very important legislation that has the potential to change the way law enforcement organizations across the state record testimony, view and handle eye witness testimony, handle evidence and more,” Sen. Keaveny, D-St. Louis, said. “This bill could change the way certain cases are handled.”

Professors Paul Litton and Rodney Uphoff of the University of Missouri School of Law and members of the assessment team that compiled the American Bar Association’s 2012 assessment report, Evaluating Fairness and Accuracy in State Death Penalty Systems will join Sen. Keaveny in testifying about the bill. They will also be joined by Josh Kezer, a Missouri man who was declared innocent because of the preponderance of evidence after spending 16 years in prison, and Bill Ferguson, the father of Ryan Ferguson, who was recently exonerated after spending nearly 10 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

For more information regarding this legislation, contact Sen. Keaveny’s Capitol office at (573) 751-3599 or follow the legislation online at www.senate.mo.gov/keaveny.