Local Lawmakers Applaud Governor’s Decision to Sign House Bill 1797 into Law
JEFFERSON CITY – On Friday, June 1, the governor signed 77 bills into law. Among those bills was Rep. Travis Fitzwater’s, R-Holts Summit, House Bill 1797. The bill strengthens security measures at nuclear power plants in Missouri and defines specifically what armed nuclear security guards can do to provide protection at those facilities. House Bill 1797 specifies the level of physical force nuclear security guards can use while guarding a nuclear power plant; protects certain nuclear power plant employers from civil liability in carrying out their duties; and increases the penalties associated with trespassing at a nuclear power plant.
“I am proud we were able to move this legislation through the process and sign it into law in one year,” Fitzwater said. “This law will be helpful to those charged with protecting some of our most sensitive assets in the country, and it also resolves conflicts between Missouri state statues and federal law.”
Commonly known as the Nuclear Power Plant Security Guard Act, the legislation faced little opposition in the Missouri House of Representatives and the Missouri Senate. In the Senate, Sen. Jeanie Riddle, R-Holts Summit, filed a similar bill, Senate Bill 830, and guided HB 1797 through the Senate where it was approved without any opposition. The Missouri House of Representatives approved the final version of the bill by a 116-8 vote.
“This legislation plays a vital role in ensuring the nuclear plant in my district is safe and secure,” stated Sen. Jeanie Riddle. “The Callaway County nuclear plant provides nearly 1,000 jobs to my community. Providing the plant’s security guards with the tools they need to keep the facility safe ensures the safety of our neighbors and the overall safety of our state’s only nuclear power plant.”
To read the bill in its entirety, please visit the Missouri House of Representatives’ website.