As we begin the second half of the 2021 legislative session, my colleagues and I approved important legislation this week designed to move our state forward. This was an incredibly tall order, and was only made possible thanks to a lot of people getting together and working through their differences on these critical pieces of legislation.
Senate Bill 91 would protect children from registered sex offenders. This legislation seeks to prohibit sex offenders from being present or loitering within 500 feet of athletic complexes or facilities that exist primarily for use by children, or a Missouri Department of Conservation nature or education center property.
Senate Bill 119 addresses caller I.D. spoofing. This is when a caller deliberately provides false caller ID information to deceive call recipients. Senate Bill 119 would make caller I.D. spoofing a class E felony.
Senate Bill 53 & 60 is a police reform bill, one of our priority measures for the year. This proposal would expand the pool of qualified applicants allowed to work for the Kansas City Police Department by removing existing police officer residency requirements. Officers could live within 30 miles of the city limits of Kansas City, but only in Missouri.
In addition, SB 53 would ensure individuals who provide tips to any Crime Stoppers organization would not be required to testify on, or produce records of, their confidential communication.
Senate Bill 53 would also ban all Missouri police officers from using respiratory chokeholds, unless deadly force is authorized under existing state law. This includes using any body part or object to apply pressure to a person’s neck in order to control or restrict their ability to breathe.
All three of these bills have passed through the Missouri Senate and are now in the Missouri House of Representatives.
As always, please feel free to call, email or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.