Making the SAFE Act Permanent: Senator Mike Bernskoetter's Legislative Column for Mar. 7, 2025

Friday, March 7, 2025

Senator Mike Bernskoetter

6th Senatorial District

 

For Immediate Release: 

Mar. 7, 2025

 

Capitol Building, Room 416

Jefferson City, MO 65101

 

Contact Kenny Ross: 

 573-751-2076

 

Making the SAFE Act Permanent

 

As we approach the halfway point of session, I want to talk about one very important piece of legislation the Missouri Senate has passed - Senate Bill 10. This bill was Third Read and sent over to the House last week. This bill has many provisions in it, but one of the key provisions is the removal of the sunset on the Missouri Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act that protects kids from transgender procedures until they are adults.

 

In Missouri, sometimes the General Assembly will pass a bill that includes a “sunset” which basically says this law will be in effect until a later date after which it will expire and no longer apply. This is often done to see the impact of a law in real life for a period of time, allowing the General Assembly to reassess and determine if this law should be made permanent. 

 

The SAFE Act was passed by the General Assembly two years ago, and during that time it has been illegal to perform transgender transition procedures on children under the age of 18. I believe this law has been a success and I am proud to have voted in favor of removing the sunset on this law in order to make it permanent.

 

I do not believe children should make decisions as momentous as undertaking procedures that permanently change their body and how their reproductive organs operate. There is a reason why many activities are illegal for children – they are not at a stage in their development to fully understand the effect of the decisions they are making. Once they are adults, they can undertake whatever procedures to their body that they want to, but I suspect once out of the environment of peer pressure and youth, many will not choose to alter their body for transgenderism.

 

This legislation is now headed to the Missouri House of Representatives for approval before it lands on the governor’s desk. I am very hopeful the House takes this bill up and passes it. With the passage of this bill, it will be permanently illegal for children in this state to undertake gender transition procedures. The SAFE Act keeps all our kids safe from life-altering decisions before they have the ability to fully understand the consequences of their actions.

 

Please feel free to contact my office at 573-751-2076. For information about my committee assignments or sponsored legislation, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Bernskoetter.