Progress Continues
Another week of legislative activity is complete in the Missouri General Assembly. As the Senate looks toward the end of the 2019 session in May, we’re spending much more time perfecting the language of Senate bills, while committee work focuses on legislation passed by the House of Representatives. In order to become a law, identical versions of legislation must be approved by both legislative chambers. That process is well underway as House and Senate bills move from their original chambers to opposite ends of the State Capitol.
One of the measures making its way through the process is House Bill 188, the companion version of my Senate Bill 155, which creates a statewide prescription drug monitoring program, or PDMP. Missouri is the only state in the nation that does not have a statewide PDMP. This legislation creates a powerful tool for medical professionals to recognize signs of opioid addiction and save lives. It’s a commonsense piece of legislation and its passage is long overdue. The House bill was passed by the Senate Seniors, Families and Children Committee this week.
Another House bill that received Senate consideration this week is House Bill 67, which was heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Essentially, this legislation says you can’t throw people in jail for minor traffic violations. That actually has happened in some municipal courts, when defendants couldn’t pay a fine or failed to show up for court. This legislation recognizes that incarceration should be reserved for violent offenders. Putting people in jail for minor traffic violations is not a good use of state resources.
Senate Bill 297, which moved through the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier in the session, was passed by the full Senate and sent on to the House of Representatives. This measure allows anyone age 75 or older to opt out of jury duty. The bill doesn’t say that older Missourians can’t serve on juries; it simply allows them the choice. This is a way to reduce the burdens on our seniors.
Senate Bill 424, which I discussed in a previous column, passed the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee this week. The measure authorizes the creation of a land bank agency in St. Joseph and allows the city to purchase abandoned properties, fix them up and put them back to productive use. Similar to legislation that created land banks in Kansas City and St. Louis, the bill provides a way for St. Joseph to address urban blight and reduce crime.
Mid-week, there was a filibuster about the expansion of charter schools in Missouri. Currently, these publicly funded, but independently operated schools are only permitted in Kansas City and the city of St. Louis. Senate Bill 292, which would allow charter schools elsewhere in Missouri, was brought up for discussion Tuesday afternoon and finally laid aside in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
It is my great honor to represent the citizens of Platte and Buchanan counties in the Missouri Senate. Please contact my office at 573-751-2183, or visit www.senate.mo.gov/luetkemeyer.