2025 Legislative Session Kicks Off
It’s Super Bowl time again! The first Super Bowl was played Jan. 15, 1967, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. This Sunday, I’m hoping for a different outcome and a Chiefs’ big game three-peat. Go Chiefs! The First Regular Session of the 103rd General Assembly kicked off on Jan. 8, and will run through mid-May. My colleagues and I have a lot of work to do over the next several months, including passing the state operating budget for the next fiscal year, which is the Missouri Legislature’s only constitutional requirement.  Public Hearings Are Underway
We’re about a quarter of the way through the 2025 legislative session, and already a lot has happened. Senate committee hearings are well underway, allowing experts, organizations and the public to comment on proposed legislation. You can view a complete list of the 2025 First Regular Session Senate bills by visiting senate.mo.gov and clicking the ”Legislation” tab. Hearings are open to the public, and I encourage you to participate. Visit senate.mo.gov and click on “Hearings” to see the hearing schedule or listen to audio. Once a proposal passes out of committee, the bill may be perfected, voted on and sent to the House of Representatives to repeat the process. On Jan. 28, a hearing was conducted in the Senate Progress and Development Committee to designate August 6 of each year as “Chris Sifford Day” in Missouri. Chris Sifford was a son, brother, preacher, journalist, chief of staff and friend of mine. Tragically, he was killed in a plane crash in 2000, along with then-governor Mel Carnahan and his son, Randy Carnahan. I sponsored Senate Bill 156 envisioning, on Aug. 6 of each year, Missourians reflecting on the lives and legacies of these men and honoring our state’s hardworking public servants. On Jan. 29, my Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 was heard by the Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee. This resolution asks the Missouri General Assembly to support the right of consumers to know the origins of their food by use of country of origin labels and urges Congress to reinstate mandated country of origin labeling. Missourians have the right to know which countries sourced the meat they are buying and consuming.  • On Feb. 5, my proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 in Missouri, Senate Bill 66, was voted out of the Families, Seniors and Health Committee, 6-0. Raising the marriage age to 18 is imperative to the health and welfare of children, particularly young girls. Experts agree child marriage puts children at higher risk of mental and physical health issues, intimate partner abuse, social isolation and poverty. During committee, we heard extremely moving stories from survivors and advocates, reiterating why this law needs to be changed.
Also on Feb. 5, a hearing was conducted for my Senate Concurrent Resolution 4 in the Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee. This resolution lets Congress know members of the Missouri General Assembly support the federal Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act. This act requires vessels carrying cargo between locations in the United States to be owned by American companies, crewed by American mariners and built in American shipyards. On the Senate Floor Senate Bill 4, which modifies utility regulations in Missouri, was one of the first bills to be debated on the Senate floor. Thankfully, it was laid over for further discussion at a later date. I believe this issue needs more vetting to ensure everyone understands the higher prices their constituents would be forced to pay. I cannot support raising prices on Missouri families while they are already struggling to make ends meet. Women Legislators of Missouri Scholarship The Women Legislators of Missouri are offering eight $1,000 scholarships – one from each Missouri U.S. Congressional District - to female, high school seniors in Missouri. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on leadership, academics and community service. Candidates must complete an application and submit a 500-word essay answering the question, “If you were a state legislator, what would you hope to accomplish and why?” A link to the downloadable scholarship is located at the MyScholarship Central website, and the submission deadline is March 12, 2025. Celebrating Black History Month Annually honoring the contributions of Black Americans officially began in 1926. The observance initially lasted one week, but was expanded to the entire month of February — the birth month of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14) — in 1976. The theme for National Black History Month 2025 is “African Americans and Labor.” This month, we pay tribute to many achievements of African Americans, celebrate their rich culture and recognize their significant role in United States history. REAL ID Effective May 7, 2025, you will be required to present a REAL ID-compliant driver license or nondriver ID card, or another form of identification accepted by the Transportation Security Administration, to board domestic flights. You can apply for a REAL ID-compliant driver license or nondriver ID card at one of Missouri’s more than 170 license office locations. Visit dor.mo.gov for a list of acceptable documents for REAL ID-Compliant document processing. Contact Us If there is anything I or my amazing staff, Hannah Dolan and Emily O’ Laughlin, can do to assist you, please call 573-751-9762, email tracy.mccreery@senate.mo.gov or visit us in State Capitol Room 427. | 