Senator Ben Brown’s Capitol Report for Dec. 1, 2023

2024 Session Is Right around the Corner

December is one of my favorite months of the entire year. Call me partial, but there is nothing quite as beautiful as our community during the holidays. Our small downtown areas are lit with festive lights, treasured Christmas music fills the airways and homes along the vast countryside are decorated to celebrate the birth of Christ. It’s hard not to love this joyous season.

December also marks the beginning of a busy season at the State Capitol as lawmakers pre-file legislation for the upcoming session which begins Jan. 3. So far, I have submitted 18 proposals for 2024, a few of which are carryovers from bills that didn’t cross the finish line during the 2023 session. I’ll summarize a few of my priority pieces of legislation in today’s report and update you as the bills progress through the legislative process.

As a small business owner, promoting commerce and spurring the local economy is a top priority of mine. I will once again sponsor legislation to streamline the professional licensure process and do away with unauthorized emergency orders that interfere with a business’s ability to succeed. 

I also feel we must take steps to preserve the integrity of our elections. Since I strongly oppose ranked choice voting (RCV) and believe it is a confusing and ineffective way to conduct elections, I filed a bill to prohibit what I think is a rigged system in Missouri. To ensure our Constitution isn’t easily influenced by out-of-state money or special interest groups, I also proposed a measure to reform the initiative petition process to require a concurrent majority, meaning a majority of voters would have to approve a measure in a majority of Missouri’s congressional districts.  

Two education bills that are similar in scope to what I sponsored last year will permit home-schooled students to participate in their public school district’s extra-curricular activities and ban diversity, equity and inclusion policies in our academic institutions.

I am extremely honored to be sponsoring an act to designate a portion of Highway 50 in Gasconade County as “Police Chief Mason Griffith Memorial Highway.” I hope this will help memorialize his selfless service and numerous contributions to the Hermann community following his tragic death in the line of duty in March of 2023. Another bill I am sponsoring will honor the service and sacrifice of our military service members by authorizing the Department of Revenue to offer specialized, veterans license plates.

If you know someone who is interested in the legislative process, please encourage them to subscribe to my capitol reports. You may also want to bookmark the Senate website to view the schedule of committee hearings and monitor the progress of legislation.

It is an honor serving those who call the 26th Senatorial District home. If you need assistance with navigating state government or the legislative process, please reach out by calling 573-751-3678 or emailing Ben.Brown@senate.mo.gov.