Legislative News

Upon adjournment Thursday, Missouri lawmakers returned home to their districts for the long Easter weekend. When session reconvenes Tuesday afternoon, there will be a little less than four weeks remaining in the 2017 session.

This week, the Senate considered and advanced a wide range of measures. One of those, House Bill 130, will expand regulations for transportation network companies (TNCs) — further opening the door for ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate throughout all of Missouri, not just in our major metropolitan areas. Although ridesharing has already come to Kansas City, St. Louis and several other markets, statewide expansion has stalled in previous years due to a variety of concerns. Thankfully, a compromise was able to be reached this session, and TNCs will be able to apply for an annual permit from the Department of Revenue to do business in Missouri beginning April 28, 2018.

Here in Kansas City, we’ve seen the positive benefits of ridesharing services. They create jobs, invite greater economic opportunities, give our citizens another affordable transportation option and save lives by helping to combat drunk driving. House Bill 130 passed the Senate by a vote of 31-1. It was truly agreed and finally passed by the House on Thursday and will now head to the governor’s desk.

Thursday evening, the Senate approved legislation to help address the growing opioid epidemic that has ravaged communities throughout the country and torn families apart. If signed into law, House Bill 90 will establish the Narcotics Control Act, which will finally create a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) in Missouri. Missouri is currently the only state without a PDMP.  

Specifically, the Act directs the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to implement a statewide PDMP for the prescribing and dispensing of all Schedule II, III and IV controlled substances of the opioid class or the benzodiazepine class. A dispenser shall electronically submit to the DHSS specific information for each of the prescribed and controlled substances listed above that are dispensed. To address patient privacy concerns, an amendment was added to SB 90 that will require patients’ personal prescription and dispensation information to be purged from prescription drug tracking databases every 180 days. House Bill 90 now heads back to the House for further review.

The Senate has also given initial approval to Senate Bill 490, relating to suicide prevention training. Under current law, psychologists are required to complete two hours of suicide prevention training as a condition of initial licensure and as a condition of license renewal. This act simply expands the current requirement to include behavior analysts, professional counselors, social workers, baccalaureate social workers, and marital and family therapists. The training will count toward any continuing education required for such license.

As a follow-up to last week’s column, I’m very pleased to say the Senate has passed Senate Bill 373, which will establish the Missouri Senior Farmers’ Market Nutritional Program. The program will provide low-income seniors with vouchers that could be exchanged for eligible food items at farmers’ markets, roadside stands and community-supported agriculture programs. Senate Bill 373 truly is a win-win for all parties — providing nutritious meals and local produce for some of Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens while supporting local economies and increasing profitability for area farmers.

Finally, in committee news this week, I was pleased to present Senate Bill 136 to the Local Government and Elections Committee. Current law provides that a charter county governing body may submit to voters a proposal to impose a $3 user fee on all instruments recorded with the recorder of deeds. The fee may be used for a county assistance program for homeless persons that includes the repair or replacement of houses that violate county housing codes. Senate Bill 136 simply increases the fee from $3 to $5.

It continues to be an honor serving the men, women and children of Missouri’s 9th Senate District. As we move forward through session, please know I value your input, and I invite you to visit my Capitol office if you are ever in Jefferson City.

For a complete list of all Sen. Curls' sponsored legislation and committee assignments, please click here or visit her official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/mem09/.