Senator Elaine Gannon’s Capitol Report for Dec. 12, 2023

Tis the Season

Seasons greetings to all the great people who live in the 3rd Senatorial District. For the past several years, Dennis and I have traveled west to visit our sons’ families, so I am looking forward to being home for Christmas. I love attending holiday-themed plays at the local elementary schools and the nativity pageant at my church. I cherish seeing the streets of our small towns lined with festive decor and the eager faces of children patiently waiting for Santa to arrive as the parade’s finale. Although it’s chaotic, I also treasure all the baking, shopping, decorating and preparing that leads up to the pinnacle of the season, the birth of Christ. The holidays remind me of how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful part Missouri and how fortunate I am to represent the Lead Belt in the Missouri Senate. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending time in our community during the interim and wish you joy and peace during this “most wonderful time of the year!”

December also marks the pre-filing season, when lawmakers can file bills ahead of the upcoming 2024 legislative session that convenes in Jefferson City on Jan. 3. While I plan to file several more pieces of legislation, I’ll give you a brief synopsis of two of my policy goals for the new year.

As a former educator and coach for nearly 40 years, children are always one of my main concerns. I have pre-filed two pieces of legislation that are designed to further protect these precious commodities. The first proposal will make it easier for homeless or unaccompanied youth and emancipated minors to start rebuilding their lives by waiving the fees associated with obtaining a driver’s license or non-driver identification card. Senate Bill 772 also simplifies the verification process to determine a child’s status as homeless, permitting letters from a governmental or nonprofit agency, local education liaison, school social worker or counselor or an attorney representing the child.

My other priority for 2024 will help increase safety and possibly save lives at our schools. Senate Bill 773 will require each public school to install automated external defibrillators (AED) and appropriately train staff to operate and maintain the devices. Under SB 773, schools are authorized to appoint a program coordinator to oversee the district’s AEDs and staff trainings. The legislation creates a mechanism for reporting data to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and, subsequently, the General Assembly as well.

I believe having AEDs on-hand will be a game changer and especially benefit the 40% of Missouri schools that are located in rural areas with limited emergency responders and prolonged response times. According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, 20% of the population in the United States is in an educational setting on a daily basis. As of 2022, 20 states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring AEDs in schools. I hope we can add Missouri to this list for the 2025-2026 school year!

If you haven’t participated in the policymaking process in the past, this is the perfect season to resolve to get involved! Please bookmark the Senate website to track legislation and view the hearing schedule. Plan to testify at a committee hearing or offer your expertise to legislators. Encourage those who would be interested to subscribe to my capitol reports. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the Capitol.