Senator Karla May's May Report for the Week of Feb. 24, 2025

Friday, February 28, 2025

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The Week of Feb. 24, 2025

On the Floor

This week, the Senate began discussion on Senate Bill 160, which would prohibit public institutions of higher learning from denying a belief-based student association, such as a political, ideological or religious association, any benefits that are available to other student groups, including access to campus facilities and communication channels. I spoke on the floor regarding this bill because I am concerned it could be interpreted to allow student organizations on campus that want to incite or promote violence against a certain group of people, all under the guise of protecting that organization’s First Amendment right to free speech. This bill was tabled for further discussion, but I will monitor this bill and work to ensure we are not allowing dangerous student organizations on public college campuses.


Additionally, the Senate gave first round approval to the following bills:

  • Senate Bill 466 would repeal the sunset for several agricultural tax credits.
  • Senate Bill 82 would prohibit any person for export water resources outside the state unless they hold a water exportation permit issued by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
  • Senate Bill 221 would modify the standard of review for agency interpretation of statutes, rules, regulations and sub regulatory documents.

 

Finally, the Senate passed the following legislation and sent them to the Missouri House of Representatives for consideration:

  • Senate Bill 3 would increase service fees charged by the Missouri Department of Revenue fee offices for certain transactions.
  • Senate Bill 4, which would enact several provisions relating to utilities, including:
  1. Allow real property that is stationary and used for transportation or storage of liquid and gaseous products, including water, sewage and certain natural gas, to be categorized as depreciable tangible personal property.
  2. Allow solar panels, racking systems, inverters and related solar equipment, components, materials and supplies installed commercially that were constructed and producing solar energy prior to August 9, 2022, to be considered “tangible personal property” for the purpose of property taxation.
  3. Allow certain utilities, if requested, to use a future test year to establish new base rates.
  4. Repeal certain provisions relating to maximum penalties for violations of federally mandated natural gas safety standards and provides that the maximum penalties cannot exceed an amount as determined by the Secretary of Transportation of the United States.
  5. Allow a new or existing gas corporation account to qualify for a discount if it meets certain criteria.
  • Senate Bill 40 would create the Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls Task Force.
  • Senate Bill 98 would create the offense of financial institution accounts fraud.
  • Senate Bill 10 would remove expiration dates for several tax credits and other provisions.
  • Senate Bill 63 would allow certain students in nontraditional educational settings to participate in public school activities.
  • Senate Bill 68 would require schools to report all school safety incidents and credible school safety threats to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Additionally, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, school districts and charter schools must adopt a written policy regarding students’ use of cell phones in school.
  • Senate Bill 156 would designate August 6 each year as “Chris Sifford Day” in Missouri.
  • Senate Bill 94 states that “telehealth” or “telemedicine” includes the delivery of health care services through audiovisual and audio-only technologies and not only to services delivered via select third-party corporate platforms.

Senate Bill 22 creates new provisions regarding summary statements prepared by the General Assembly for ballot measures. It requires challenges to the summary statement be brought in the Cole County circuit court no later than 22 weeks prior to the general election. If the court finds the statement is insufficient or unfair, the Missouri Secretary of State may submit up to three revised summary statements. If, after the submission of a third revised summary statement, the court still finds it to be insufficient or unfair, the court may write their own sufficient and fair summary statement. 

 

Existing law empowers judges to rewrite the ballot language for measures submitted to voters if the original language is challenged and ruled unfair or misleading. The secretary of state writes the original ballot language for all measures placed on the ballot via initiative petition and is the default author for ballot language on measures submitted to voters by the Legislature. If they choose, however, lawmakers can write the ballot language themselves. Courts frequently strike down legislatively crafted ballot questions, including one last year on a measure that sought to authorize new court fees to fund pensions for county sheriffs and prosecutors. The legislature’s ballot language made no mention that purpose and instead asked voters if they supported funding “for the administration of justice.” After a court rewrote the language to honestly explain the measure’s purpose, voters overwhelmingly rejected it.

 

Ballot questions prepared by the secretary of state are sometimes struck down as well, as was the case with the language then-Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wrote for a proposed constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights in Missouri. A judge found 13 separate phrases representing about three-fourths of Ashcroft’s version to be “problematic in that they are either argumentative or do not fairly describe the purposes or probable effect of the initiative.” With court-crafted replacement language, voters ratified the amendment in November.

 

Bills and Committees

Senator May’s Legislation:

On Monday, March 3, I will present Senate Bill 192 to the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee. This legislation would require any candidate for the office of sheriff of St. Louis City to hold a valid peace officer license within two years of being elected sheriff. Additionally, it sets the minimum yearly compensation for the deputy sheriffs of the City of St. Louis to fifty thousand dollars, and the sheriff has the authority to set the compensation for deputy assistants.

 

Additionally, I will present Senate Bill 17 to the Senate Families, Seniors and Health Committee on Wednesday, March 5. This legislation requires practitioners, before an initial opioid prescription and the third in a course of treatment, to consult with the patient as to the risks of taking opioids and alternatives to opioids.

 

Judiciary Committee:

The committee heard several bills this week:

  • Senate Bill 281 would require the offenses of rape in the first degree and enticement of a child to have their own minimum prison terms, separate from the general provisions of law regarding minimum prison terms. It also modifies current minimum prison terms for certain offenses other than dangerous offenses, dependent on the offender’s previously served prison time, if any.
  • Senate Bill 251 also modifies current minimum prison terms for certain offenses, dependent on the offender’s previously served prison time, if any. Additionally, if a person is found guilty of a dangerous felony, they are required to serve 100% of their sentence, rather than 85%, which is currently required under law.
  • Senate Bill 449 would require any person found guilty of certain felony offenses to serve 80% of their term of imprisonment.
  • Senate Bill 197 allows a court to have jurisdiction at the time of sentencing to issue a lifetime protective order for the victim if the defendant is found guilty of a dangerous felony.
  • Senate Bill 235 establishes “Bentley’s Law” relating to child maintenance orders for certain people convicted of driving while intoxicated.
  • Senate Bill 353 creates a DWI diversion program allowing a prosecuting or circuit attorney to divert the case to such a program if the defendant meets certain criteria.
  • Senate Bill 434 creates a DWI diversion program allowing a judge presiding over a criminal case to divert the case to such a program if the defendant meets certain criteria.

 

Commerce Committee:

The committee heard Senate Bill 213, which requires any person constructing a solar farm to submit an application to the county commission in each county where the solar farm is located before obtaining a certificate of public convenience or necessity from the Public Service Commission.

 

Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee:

This week, the committee reviewed consent bills, which are pieces of legislation that are considered non-controversial and can be passed unanimously. 

 

Appropriations Committee:

The following departments and offices shared their funding requests for the Fiscal Year 2026 state operating budget in this week’s hearing:

  • Department of Social Services
  • Department of Transportation
  • Lieutenant Governor
  • Secretary of State
  • Department of Revenue
  • State Tax Commission
  • State Lottery
  • Department of Health and Senior Services
  • Treasurer
  • Judiciary
  • Missouri National Guard

 

Other News

House votes to clarify pregnant women can get divorced

In a unanimous vote, the Missouri House of Representatives advanced legislation to the Senate on Feb. 27 to clarify in state law that judges cannot deny granting a divorce or legal separation merely because one spouse is pregnant. The bill cleared the lower chamber 155-0.

 

Although state law doesn’t require delaying divorce proceedings due to pregnancy, judges commonly do so anyway because of the implications a pregnancy has on child support and custody issues. However, those seeking to end the practice note it can keep a pregnant woman legally tethered to physically abusive spouse, putting her life and safety at risk.

 

House Bills 243 & 280 simply state that pregnancy status cannot prevent the court from entering a judgment of dissolution of marriage or legal separation.

 

House endorses requiring elected Jackson County assessor

The Missouri House of Representatives on Feb. 27 approved a proposed constitutional amendment to clarify that Jackson County is required to have an elected county assessor. If the measure also clears the Senate, it automatically would go on the November 2026 ballot for voter ratification.

 

Although the Missouri Constitution generally authorizes charter counties, such as Jackson County, to determine whether particular county offices are elected or appointed, voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2010 to require elected county assessors. However, since that measure was prompted by assessment controversies in St. Louis County, it provided an exemption for Jackson County, stating the requirement didn’t apply to charter counties “with more than 600,000 but fewer than 700,000 inhabitants.”

 

While Jackson County’s 2010 Census population stood at 674,158 residents, it grew to 717,204 residents under the 2020 Census, meaning the constitutional exemption no longer applies to it. Despite the constitutional requirement, Jackson County has retained its appointed assessor.

 

House Joint Resolution 23 would simply remove the population range from the constitutional text. The measure passed on a vote of 125-7, with 22 lawmakers voting “present.”

 

Nine senators pledge to block Bayer shield bill

A group of nine state senators announced Feb. 24 that legislation passed by the Missouri House of Representatives days earlier to legally shield biotechnology company Bayer from lawsuits over its Roundup herbicide is “dead on arrival” in the upper chamber. The senators said at a news conference that attack ads run against them by the bill’s supporters served to strengthen their opposition against it.

 

The House narrowly advanced House Bill 544 on a vote of 85-72 – with just three more “yes” votes than the constitutionally required minimum. If the nine senators hold true to their word and at least nine of the 10 members of the minority party also oppose the measure, it would have insufficient support to pass in the Senate, where a minimum of 18 votes is required to pass legislation.

 

Bayer is a German corporation whose U.S. headquarters is located in Creve Coeur. More than 25,000 lawsuits have been filed in Cole County Circuit Court alleging Roundup’s main chemical – glyphosate – causes cancer. The company has already paid out billions of dollars in judgments and settlements in Roundup cases nationwide.

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Thank you for your interest in the legislative process. I look forward to hearing from you on the issues that are important to you this legislative session. If there is anything my office can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 573-751-3599.