Week of May 28, 2024

The End of Session

Greetings! Session is over for this year. I had some wins and I had some losses, but I can stand with a free conscience knowing I did all I could to fight for the priorities of my constituents. Now, I would like to go over some of the important legislation that made it to the governor’s desk and some which didn’t.

Senate Joint Resolution 78 passed through the House on the final day of session. This bill addresses ranked choice voting, and, if approved by voters, will prevent its use in our elections. It also ensures only U.S. citizens who are Missouri residents can vote in Missouri elections. This measure will now go to the ballot to be approved by voters and I believe is a crucial step in restoring integrity to our elections.

Another win was the passage of Senate Bill 895. This bill prevents the establishment of a moratorium on evictions unless it is authorized through law. In addition, House Bill 2062 passed this session and actively fights squatters by allowing homeowners to file with a court in order to have squatters removed and turning squatting into a Class A misdemeanor. I believe these two bills will protect property owners throughout the state.

A priority for me this session was to take all taxpayer funding away from all abortion providers and affiliates in the state, and I am happy to say that was achieved through the passage of House Bill 2634. This bill will prevent any abortion provider, or affiliate of a provider, from receiving any state-based funding. I believe this is such a crucial win in our continued fight to protect the lives of the unborn.

In addition, I am happy to say the state budget did not continue to grow this year and actually went down. The governor’s proposed state budget for fiscal year 2025 was $52.7 billion, but we managed to reduce it by just over $1 billion to $51.6 billion. While not as large of a decrease as I would have liked to see, it is an important step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, it fills me with great sadness to share the number one priority of many conservatives in the state, initiative petition (IP) reform, did not pass. During the final week, my colleagues and I continued to focus on initiative petition (IP) reform despite other senators’ attempts to derail its progress. I fought to the bitter end and did all I could this session to get IP reform across the finish line starting from day one, but disagreements within my own party confounded my efforts.

Two of my other priorities did not pass as well, namely any personal property tax cuts and anti-red flag laws. The principle of personal property and our second amendment rights have been important to me and a major part of my legislation since the beginning of my time as a Senator and it saddens me to see them fail to progress even with a conservative super-majority.

As I close my final end-of-session Capitol Report, I am just so appreciative of my staff and the hard work they have put in this session and all the sessions before, and I am happy with the work we have provided for constituents of the 21st District. I have fought hard for conservative priorities and will continue to do so as I move on from my position as a Senator.

As always, I appreciate hearing your comments, opinions and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at 573-751-4302. You may also email me at denny.hoskins@senate.mo.gov.

I enjoyed having my wife, Michelle; my son, Cole; and his friend, Lily Montgomery visit me here in the capital.

I was happy to welcome the Wiley family from Warrensburg alongside my wife. L-R: Joanna, Amanda, Daisy, Abigail, and Jenna.