After a week-long break in the legislative session, the Missouri Senate gaveled into session at 4 p.m. on Monday, March 20, and wouldn’t adjourn until approximately 8 a.m. the next day. During that overnight session, the Missouri Senate was able to perfect Senate Bills 49, 236 & 164 and Senate Bill 39. Senate Bill 39 would allow for transgender women to play in co-ed sports or on the boys’ teams. Senate Bill 49 would prohibit health care providers from performing gender transition surgeries on any minor and would bar health care providers from prescribing or administering cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs to a minor for a gender transition. These bills will now move over to the Missouri House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 247 provides several modifications relating to retirement. During debate on this bill, I was able to add a provision that deals with teacher retirement. This amendment would address the state’s critical shortage of teachers and school district employees. Specifically, this amendment would remove the sunset that expired in 2014 and allow teachers who retire with 32 years of service to receive an additional .05% multiplier of the member’s final average salary for each year of service. Currently, the optimal time for a member to retire is at 30 years of service. It is my hope, if this bill were to become law, it would incentivize teachers to remain in the classroom.

Additionally, Senate Bill 75 changes the amount a retired teacher who is receiving retirement benefits from PSRS can earn in a position covered under PEERS, which is currently capped at 60% of the minimum teacher’s salary, or $15,000. The bill would also allow a retired teacher or a retired noncertified employee, who is receiving a retirement benefit from PSRS or PEERS, to work full time up to four years, instead of two, for a school district — if that district has a critical shortage of certified teachers or non-certified employees. Ideally, this provision would be used to identify and assist a student financially while they are finishing their degree with an agreement that they return to teach at that school for a certain number of years.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Missouri House of Representatives is set to finalize their portion of the state’s budget. Once approved by the House, the budget is sent to the Senate, where the Senate Appropriations Committee can make changes. With the May 5 deadline quickly approaching, the Appropriations Committee will swiftly begin markup once those bills make their way to the Senate.

Also, the Missouri Department of Revenue has announced the upcoming request for proposal of the license office in Brookfield, Maryville and Carrollton. Bids must be submitted by April 4. For a list of bid opportunities and bid response instructions, please visit Missouri’s statewide electronic procurement system, MissouriBUYS at https://missouribuys.mo.gov/.

As always, please feel free to call, email or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is 573-751-1415, my email is rusty.black@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is 201 W. Capitol Ave., Room 331, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.