The 2019 legislative session has drawn to a close. We were fortunate to see several important measures receive approval from the Missouri General Assembly and land on the governor’s desk for his consideration. In all, 45 bills from the Missouri Senate and 46 from the Missouri House of Representatives were successful in navigating the legislative process. I am also happy to say that several of the bills I sponsored or handled this year received approval from my colleagues and now await the governor’s decision.
Senate Bill 54 – Enacts provisions relating to insurance companies, also included in House Bill 182;
Senate Bill 114 – Modifies fees charged by the Missouri Department of Revenue’s contractor license offices, also included in both Senate Bill 147 and House Bill 499;
Senate Bill 167 – Modifies provisions relating to bonding requirements on public works;
Senate Bill 174 – Modifies provisions relating to taxation, which also included Senate Bill 175;
Senate Bill 230 – Modifies provisions relating to venue in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings;
Senate Bill 264 – Transfers the Missouri Arts Council from the Missouri Department of Economic Development to the lieutenant governor’s office, also included in House Bill 612;
Senate Bill 277 – Modifies provisions relating to child support enforcement, also included in House Bill 397;
Senate Bill 325 – Modifies provisions relating to state parks concession contracts, included in Senate Bill 196;
Senate Bill 471 – Repeals the Missouri Treated Timber Law; and
Senate Bill 472 – Modifies the Plant Industries Division fees and requires periodic review of fees charged by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, both included in Senate Bill 133.
From here, the governor has until July 14 to either sign, veto or let legislation become law without taking action. This also includes the 13 bills that comprise the state budget, which we sent to him ahead of the May 10 deadline.
In September, we will return to Jefferson City for the annual veto session. Until then, I look forward to spending more time in the district this summer.
In the meantime, we are continuing to clean up, following devastating tornadoes that tore a path of destruction from southwest Missouri, through the State Capitol and into the eastern parts of our state. We are blessed to have wonderful volunteers and others who have been working tirelessly to get everybody’s lives back to normal following this tragedy. This work will continue for some time to come.
Here at the Capitol, we strive to make Memorial Day a time of remembrance and thankfulness, and to honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. It is important that we reflect upon the sacrifice of those who paid the ultimate price with their lives, and display gratitude to the families who have given their loved one away to protect each of us. Every time we have been challenged as a nation to protect what we love, men and women have answered the call. These are the people we honor. I hope you had a safe and blessed Memorial Day.
I also want to take the opportunity to say, “thank you,” to my incredible staff. I truly could not have done it without them.
I am honored to serve as your senator in the Missouri Senate. If, at any time, you have questions, concerns or ideas regarding state government, please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-8793 or Sandy.Crawford@senate.mo.gov.
Missouri Senate District 28 Staff
Pam Bowman, Sen. Crawford, Caleb Ball and Barbara Mustoe