My fellow St. Louisans,
I am glad to continue to work for you as your Senator as the 99th Missouri General Assembly begins its second regular session in Jefferson City. With a new year comes new challenges to face and new obstacles to overcome to make our state better. While the nation is shifting, I remain dedicated to serving you and I am ready to return to work at the State Capitol and fight for the people of the 5th Senatorial District.
2018 promises to be another intriguing year as Republicans continue to hold a supermajority in both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly. Despite our current political plight, I remain committed to representing my constituents and ensuring their voices are heard in the Missouri Senate. I have pre-filed a number of bills, many of which deal with issues of education, economic development and social justice.
The work that happens in Jefferson City is important and impacts you. My constituents deserve to be informed of what their elected officials are doing to serve them. Below is a list of legislative priorities that I will focus on during the upcoming legislative session. More information on these bills can be found at senate.mo.gov, the Missouri Senate’s official website.
- Senate Bill 583 – Boarding for Prisoners: This legislation would modify provisions relating to boarding of prisoners.
- Senate Bill 584 – Removing Confederate Monuments: This bill would prevent the state of Missouri from selling or displaying the Confederate Flag. It also requires the state to transfer any monuments owned by the state to the Confederate Memorial Park for historical purposes.
- Senate Bill 585 – Protecting Missourians: This proposal would modify several provisions of state law relating to unlawful discrimination practices.
- Senate Bill 651 – Police Body Cameras: This bill would require law enforcement officers to wear body cameras while on duty and also implements a grant program to help fund these cameras.
- Senate Bill 652 – Louis Sheriff Department: This bill would designate the Office of Sheriff of the City of St. Louis as a law enforcement agency.
- Senate Bill 653 – Appointing St. Louis County Deputies: This bill would allow the Sheriff of the City of St. Louis to appoint deputies without the approval of circuit court judges.
- Senate Bill 698 – Requiring GMO Labeling: This legislation would require all genetically modified meat and fish raised and sold in Missouri to be labeled as such.
- Senate Bill 783 – The Missouri Promise Scholarship Act: This legislative proposal would establish the Missouri Promise Scholarship Program to help fund students’ post-secondary education if they meet certain requirements for academics and community service.
- Senate Bill 784 – Protecting All Drivers: This bill would expand the ban on using a cellphone to call or text while driving to apply to all drivers rather than just those under the age of 22.
- Senate Bill 785 – Addressing Student Mental Health: This proposal would establish the Coordinating Board for Mental Health Issues to address any issues associated with student mental health in Missouri.
- Senate Bill 788 – Addressing Sexual Assault and Harassment: This legislation would require course materials in schools to include material on sexual harassment, sexual violence and consent.
- Senate Bill 789 – The Missouri Care Counts Program: This bill would create the Missouri Care Counts Program to provide funding for schools in St. Louis to purchase washing machines and dryers for students and parents to use.
- Senate Bill 791 – Making Inciting a Suicide a Crime: This legislative proposal would allow for someone who knowingly causes a person to commit suicide to be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
- Senate Bill 792 – Expunging Records for those forced into Prostitution: This legislation would allow the criminal records of those forced into prostitution to be expunged.
- Senate Bill 801 – Raising the Minimum Wage: This bill would raise the state minimum wage to $8.60 at the beginning of 2019 and increase it by $.85 every year afterwards.
- Senate Bill 802 – Women and Minority Businesses: This proposal would modify provisions relating to women’s and minority businesses.
- Senate Bill 803 – Protecting the Health of Pregnant Offenders: This bill would limit the use of physical restraints on pregnant or postpartum offenders.
- Senate Bill 804 – Renewing Donated Food Tax Credit: This bill would reauthorize the Donated Food Tax Credit until Dec. 31, 2026.
- Senate Bill 828 – Reducing Bias in Policing: This legislation prohibits police officers from using discriminatory policies and requires law enforcement agencies to implement policies to address this.
- Senate Bill 925 – Urban and Community Gardening: This bill would allow for urban and community gardens to be classified as agricultural and horticultural property for the purposes of property taxation.
- Senate Concurrent Resolution 29– Louis Public School District Transition Committee: This resolution establishes the Joint Committee on the Transition of the St. Louis Public School District.
Thank you for your time and involvement in the political process. I welcome your feedback on these pieces of legislation. If you find yourself in the State Capitol, please contact my office to schedule a visit. I always enjoying meeting with my constituents in the State Capitol. Again, I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
Senator Jamilah Nasheed