Session Springs into March  This Sunday, we set our clocks ahead one hour for daylight saving time. As the 2025 legislative session springs into March, the sun is shining, snow is melting, days are growing longer, and significant progress is being made in the Missouri Senate.
Senate Bill 68, my legislation prohibiting student cell phone usage during the school day - except for instructional purposes or emergencies - passed the Senate and now heads to the Missouri House of Representatives. Students deserve to learn in a safe and distraction-free environment, and I believe this bill is a step in the right direction. Senate Bill 4, which strikes a balance between rate hikes for consumers and ensuring that all Missourians have reliable electricity, water and gas, was passed by the Senate and will now repeat the legislative process in the House. Other bills third read and passed since my last legislative update include: - Senate Bill 757 requires a utility company or provider to have reliable, dispatchable power available before retiring a power plant.
- Senate Bill 22 reworks how ballot issue summaries are written and prevents judges from rewriting ballot summaries sent to voters.
- Senate Bill 63 ensures home school students have the right to participate in public school sports or activities.
- Senate Bill 10 removes a large and varied number of sunset provisions in state statute, including ensuring children are not subjected to life-altering medical treatments and protects opportunities for female athletes by keeping biological males out of women’s sports.
- Senate Bill 3 modifies or enacts provisions relating to the Department of Revenue fee offices.
- Senate Bill 98 creates the offense of financial instution accounts fraud to better protect Missourians from fraud and scams.
- Senate Bill 466 modifies provisions relating to agricultural tax credits.
- Senate Bill 82 creates provisions relating to water resources.
- Senate Bill 221 modifies the standard of review for agency interpretation of statutes, rules, regulations and subregulatory documents.
- Senate Bill 160 prohibits public instutions of higher learning from discriminating against religious, political or ideological associations.
- Senate Bill 218 modifies the provisions relating to the establishment of mental health treatment courts.
- Senate Bill 43 modifies provisions relating to child protection.
House Bill 495, a comprehensive public safety bill that passed in the House, was debated at length on the Senate floor this week and brought about this session’s first filibuster. This measure addresses crime across the state and transitions the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to a citizen board to provide oversight and improve public safety. I remain committed to addressing violent crime and protecting Missouri communities. You can view a complete list of bills filed this session by visiting senate.mo.gov and clicking the “Legislation” tab. The Senate website is a great tool to help keep Missourians informed on the legislation senators are working on every day. In other news, on Feb. 26, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri addressed the Missouri Senate and the Missouri House in a joint session for the State of the Judiciary. The speech centered around how the daily activities of Missouri’s courts matter in the lives of everyday people in all our communities. Senate Committee Highlights The Senate Appropriations Committee, which I serve on, works diligently all session long to ensure our state’s priorities are funded and tax dollars are spent wisely. On Feb. 26, the Secretary of State’s Office presented their budgetary proposal for FY 26 to the committee. A Missouri grandmother advocated for “Bentley’s Law” after her son, his fiance and their infant son were killed by a drunk driver, leaving behind two orphaned children, Bentley and Mason. Senate Bill 235, my legislation creating “Bentley’s Law” and making convicted drunk drivers financially responsible for orphaned children, was heard in the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Feb. 26. I believe drunk drivers who kill parents of children and leave behind orphans should pay restitution until the children turn 18. Weekly Photos On top of legislative work, I often meet with visitors and constituents from across the district. If you are ever in Jefferson City, please stop by our beautiful State Capitol and visit me in Room 431. 
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