The next several weeks will be a flurry of activity as everyone wraps up their holiday shopping and prepares for Christmas and New Year’s. I hope you have been able to attend the many area festivities including several holiday parades and events like Living Windows in downtown Jefferson City. 

We also saw the initial burst of legislative activity on Friday, Dec. 1. This was the first day that legislators were able to pre-file bills ahead of the Second Regular Session of the 102nd General Assembly, which will begin on Jan. 3. If you look through the bills that were filed, you’ll quickly notice that there are a wide variety of topics. I look forward to the process of reviewing these bills with my colleagues and working together to find ways to make Missouri the best it can be. 

This week I wanted to briefly go over my initial legislation filings. I will dive deeper into these bills in the future as they go through the legislative process. 

My biggest priority this session is to get Senate Bill 746 across the finish line. This bill would adjust parole laws to make minors convicted of second degree murder ineligible for early release. 

This change is in response to the case of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten, who was murdered in 2009 by a 15-year-old neighbor who confessed to the crime and said that she just wanted to know what it felt like to murder someone. Elizabeth’s killer was originally indicted for first degree murder but eventually pled guilty to the lessor charge of second-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison, but current law could allow her to be granted parole as early as 2027. 

I believe that the punishment should fit the crime, and that the person who committed the crime should serve that sentence, especially someone who intentionally takes the life of another. 

This bill made it to the governor’s desk last year. After being perfected in the Senate, it was added as an amendment to another bill that became a comprehensive piece of legislation containing a large number changes related to criminal laws. This bill was passed by the General Assembly but was ultimately vetoed by the governor due to concerns on other provisions in the law relating to expungement. I believe this year we will get this issue passed and signed into law. 

I also submitted Senate Bill 745, which would tie the length of time an individual can receive unemployment benefits to the current Missouri average unemployment rate, and Senate Bill 747, which would require electrical corporations to receive approval from the General Assembly and the Public Service Commission before constructing high-voltage transmission lines or structures. 

This is just the first step in a long journey. You will be hearing about these bills and many more in the coming weeks and months as they go through the legislative process. I encourage you to take a few minutes to review that process ahead of the 2024 legislative session. My team and I will be preparing as well. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of the bills that will be before the Senate this year, I would love to hear from you. 

Please feel free to contact my office at 573-751-2076. For information about my committee assignments or sponsored legislation, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Bernskoetter.