As December begins, bills that have been prefiled receive numbers for the upcoming legislative session beginning Jan. 7. Bills are given numbers in order, and each senator may file three bills based on the sponsoring senator’s seniority. Lower bill numbers are significant because it indicates the importance of the bill to the sponsor and it may also be heard in committee more quickly. However, bills can still be introduced in the Senate until March 1, 2015. After those three bills are assigned, the rest are numbered by chronological order.

Due to my seniority, I’m honored to be assigned Senate Bills 1, 2 and 3 this session. As in previous years, I have prefiled legislation on priority topics for the upcoming session. Senate Bill 1 deals with student transfers and retention in unaccredited school districts. It also addresses charter schools, building accreditation, and the power of the State Board of Education to intervene in the organization of unaccredited school districts.

The second bill I prefiled is Senate Bill 2, which establishes campaign contributions limits. Missouri is the only state without contribution limits. The limits would be set at $1,250 for state representatives, $2,500 for state senators and $5,000 for statewide offices. Lawmakers have spent a lot of time discussing the need for ethics reform, including a cap on campaign contributions. I hope this bill receives its share of debate on the Senate floor.

Senate Bill 3 is a measure to further ensure safe Missouri roads. Currently, only drivers under the age of 21 have restrictions on the use of hand-held cell phones to text while driving. SB 3 would expand those rules to all drivers while operating a motor vehicle. Cell phone use while driving has proven to be as dangerous as impaired driving. Too many lives are lost on our state’s roads to allow this to continue. The use of a headset, voice activation, or a hands-free device would still be allowed.

These three measures mark the beginning of the First Regular Session of the 98th General Assembly. I will continue to sponsor beneficial and necessary legislation for constituents of the 21st District. I look forward to returning to the Capitol, where debate will take place on these and other bills filed by my colleagues. To find out about these measures, or other bills I will file, please visit my Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/pearce and click on “Sponsored Bills” under the “Legislation” tab at the top.

As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or 573-751-2272, or by fax at 573-526-7381.