Holly Jones – Missouri House of Representatives Newsroom

House plan would Accelerate Detection of Child, Animal, and Elderly Abuse by Connecting Investigators

A House committee advanced this week a plan that could save the lives of children, the elderly, and animals in the State of Missouri simply by having different types of investigators talk to one another.

*Representative Holly Jones (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)*

House Bill 1298 would make those who investigate the abuse of children, the elderly, and other vulnerable persons mandated reporters of animal abuse and visa versa, and require the necessary cross training for those investigators.

“There’s a direct correlation between child abuse and elderly abuse in most cases, and animal abuse. In this bill we’re asking for agencies involved in any of the reporting on childhood abuse and animal abuse to cross-report for the other,” said bill sponsor Holly Jones (R-Eureka).

“Law enforcement and Child Protective Services are often the ones who see animals abused, and children in neglectful and abusive situations, and cross-reporting and training is being implemented across the country to enable those in a multitude of fields to report that abuse.”

Jones shared with the House Special Committee on Urban Issues statistics to back up her proposal, and she said they are disturbing.

“Seventy-five percent of abused women who have companion animals; dogs, cats, those kinds of thing, have reported history of that companion animal either being threatened or abused by their intimate partner, with children being present for that abuse 90 percent of the time. Other studies have shown that over half of children have been exposed to animal abuse in their short childhood years.”

Committee Chairman Mark Sharp (D-Kansas City) said the proposed change could lead to cases of abuse being discovered earlier by authorities.

“If it’s happening with an animal then it’s likely happening with a child, if there is one in the home, so giving that cross-training for our animal abuse folks to be able to recognize this, as often times they are the first person to respond to many issues in a home.”

The relationship between children and their pets is recognized as treasured and crucial to emotional development, and the development of empathy, responsibility, and social skills. Aislinn McCarthy with the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation said it is that much more tragic, then, when a child’s pet becomes a target of abuse.

“Children perceive their pets as special friends, important family members, providers of social interactions, affections, and emotional support. In homes where the child’s being abused or neglected, pets take on an even more special role. They take on the role of an attachment figure. This pet may be the child’s only experience of love without violence. This pet may also be the child’s only protector.”

Jackson County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Devon Tarantino dealt with special victims cases for four years. She said animal abuse investigators are, indeed, often the first authorities to visit a home in which children are being abused.

“If they go to a scene and they are able to identify issues or concerns of child abuse or neglect when that is present, adding them to the list of mandated reporters and adding additional training to help them identify the signs of child abuse will help victims get the care and attention they need early and quickly, and I think that is one of the biggest benefits of this bill, is early detection and prevention.”

Tarantino said delays in detection of abuse in a home are not always the result of investigators not having yet witnessed it. Often when investigators are present, they are not told about abuse. She said HB 1298 could make a difference in those situations as well.

“Sometimes our children and adult victims are not ready to talk about their abuse. They’re just not. But you know what they are ready to talk about? Maybe the abuse of their pet or the abuse of another family member, and so say, for instance, you have a child going to the Child Protection Center and they are not ready to disclose their own abuse but they will disclose about their companion animal being abused, and so this bill, in those situations, would allow us to get services and resources in place into that home prior to it really escalating.”

The committee heard similar testimony from Ashley Stanley, the Director of Community Education and Outreach at Wayside Waifs Animal Shelter in Kansas City. She told the committee she has encountered many awful and sobering stories of animal abuse that were made more heartbreaking by how children were affected.

“For children, especially, the first red flags that abuse or neglect may be happening in the home can be spotted in the conversations that they have about their animals.“

“In our work we’re in schools every single day, and throughout the years I’ve heard stories of animals being thrown down stairs; dents left in walls from repeated instances of adults in the home banging their animal’s head into them; one child walked outside one morning to take care of his family dog and found his dog hanging from a tree in their backyard.”

Stanley joined the advocates who told legislators that Jones’ proposal could save lives.

“Early intervention on both the human and animal side is crucial to stopping the cycle of violence. HB 1298 creates a path for early intervention that can save both human and animal lives. It gives both those working to protect animals and those working to protect children the knowledge and tools to work collaboratively to mitigate abuse in all its forms earlier and more efficiently, ultimately creating healthier and safer communities throughout the state.”

The committee voted 6-0 to advance HB 1298. It faces another committee vote before it could be considered by the full House.

Bill to set Marriage Age at 18 clears House Committee

A proposal to eliminate state-recognized marriage for those under the age of 18 has been advanced by a House Committee. Several lawmakers expressed support for the change as a way to protect children, especially from traffickers. Others expressed hesitation about creating a roadblock to young couples who genuinely want to be wed.

*Representative Renee Reuter (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)*

Missouri law was changed in 2018 to allow the issuance of marriage license to those 18 and older, and to those between 16 and 18 with parental consent. No licenses may be issued to couples in which either party is younger than 16.

The sponsor of House Bill 1200, Representative Renee Reuter (R-Imperial), said the 2018 change was an improvement, but it did not go far enough.

“There are problems in Missouri with human trafficking and … marrying young people off is one way to lock them in to sex trafficking for a while,” Reuter told the Committee on Children and Families. “We have to protect people from being trafficked, and so because of that I think we need to look at the law a little differently and I think we need to protect these women, mainly women, who are being damaged by the marriage laws that we have today.”

She said people who get married younger than 18 are trapped.

“One cannot get divorced in the State of Missouri until you’re over 18, so should you get married at 16, you’re stuck in that marriage because there’s no way to divorce until you’re 18,” added Reuter, who is an attorney.

Reuter cited the stories of women who married when younger than 18 and found themselves in situations of abuse from which they couldn’t escape.

“They were beaten, raped, and forced into sexual relationships with other people and it just got so bad that they ran away. When they ran away they would get picked up by authorities, and the first thing they would do is take them home to their husband. They wouldn’t take them to their parents, they would take them home to their husband … because they were married, and that was just a repeating scenario, and what would happen when they get back is things would even get worse. They just saw this as a way that they couldn’t get out of, they couldn’t get out of the marriage. Sometimes [their husband] would put them on a plane and take them to another country and they couldn’t get back. This is a real problem for people who are caught up in it. The marriage itself becomes the chains that are around the wrist, to keep them in this situation, and that’s not what marriage is supposed to be about.”

Some on the committee expressed opposition, saying they know people who were wed when younger than 18.

“I have multiple friends who have been married at 16, 17 years old and have amazing marriages,” said Representative Mike Costlow (R-Dardenne Prairie), but he said that was only part of his objection. His greater concern, he said, was about legal recognition for young families.

“Our age of consent law here in Missouri begins at 17. [For this bill to become law] would mean that we are saying you can legally go out, have sex, get pregnant, create a family unit, but you cannot get married to be recognized under the law that way, at 17.”

Some, like Carthage Republican Cathy Jo Loy, wondered whether the legislation could include an exception for marriages that are not in some way coerced.

“Right now I’m supportive of this bill, but I’m really having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that not all young marriages are that situation.”

Representative Ann Kelley (R-Lamar) said HB 1200 could result in a law that misses its target.

“If you’re going to do something bad, you’re going to do it no matter what, right … so who pays for it? The people that are wanting to get married for the right reasons, they’re the ones that are paying for it. I understand where you’re coming from, I just wish there were some exceptions or something in here to allow the ones that have good intentions to go ahead and get married.”

Upon hearing those concerns, Reuter suggested that her colleagues consider another way to look at such situations.

“In the Catholic church, you can get a divorce under Missouri law but the church does not recognize it unless you get an annulment, and to me they could come up with something like that within the church, but within the law I think we need to take this approach.”

Ozark Republican Jamie Gragg said the bill is in line with what has been the focus of the Committee on Children and Families in recent years.

“My grandparents were married at 14. We don’t live in the same world today, anymore, and our ultimate goal, and I think everything we’ve done here in this committee this whole year is protecting children, and that’s where our focus has to be and I think that your bill is doing just that … [regardless of] what used to be or what is allowed in other countries or other religions, here in America we have to protect the kids. We have to.”

The Committee’s top Democrat, Raychel Proudie (Ferguson), said there are parallels between what this bill seeks to address, and the fact that judges in Missouri typically refuse to finalize a divorce if one party in the marriage is pregnant. That has effectively prevented pregnant women in abusive relationships from being able to divorce their partner.

“If you’re not 18, regardless of what your situation is currently you just have to be there, and if you’re pregnant you really have to just be there, so it’s a bad situation all around.”

Proudie is one of the sponsors of a bill to deal with that situation, which was recently advanced by the Children and Families Committee.

Committee chair Holly Jones (R-Eureka) illustrated a further point in support of HB 1200. She asked Reuter, “Is there another contract that we can enter into under the age of 18 that’s legally binding?”

“I am not aware of any,” Reuter said.

A Senate version of this legislation made it to the House in April last year but did not reach the Governor’s desk.

In spite of the concerns that were voiced, HB 1200 was passed out of the committee with a 15-0 vote. The legislation now goes to another committee which could vote to send it to the full House.

House Renews Effort to End State Seizure of Foster Children’s Benefits

A House panel has launched this year’s effort to make sure that money intended for Missouri’s foster children gets to those children and isn’t intercepted by the state.

Representative Melissa Schmidt (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

An estimated 12,000 young people in Missouri’s foster care system are eligible for benefits from the Social Security or Veterans Administrations, or railroad retirement benefits, often because they are the survivors of deceased parents or because they have disabilities. The state Children’s Division takes those benefits to cover the costs of caring for those children. Social Security benefits, alone, can be around $900 or more each month.

House Bill 737 would end that practice.

Legislators expressed shock and disbelief when they were first introduced to this issue in 2024, and the House passed a bill then to address it but that did not reach the governor. HB 737 is this year’s version, and at the urging of new House Speaker Jonathan Patterson it is among the first bills being considered in 2025.

“We must prioritize the most vulnerable among us, especially our foster kids,” Patterson said in his address on the opening day of the session, calling for this legislation to be the first bill the House passes this year.

HB 737 sponsor Melissa Schmidt (R-Eldridge) told the House Committee on Children and Families that the practice, “depletes a resource that could meet crucial needs and be a significant support for foster children as they age out of the system and attempt to enter into adult living.”

Madison Eacret with FosterAdopt Connect said those benefits could be going to things like housing, transportation, higher education, or other needs and wants.

“It’s really difficult when you’re in foster care and you’re transitioning at 18, to go out into the world, and these funds are really critical for that transition.”

Schmidt recalled for the committee testimony offered last year from a young man named Ian, who experienced this firsthand.

Representative Raychel Proudie (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

“During his time in care he stated that he had one source of hope. His mother served honorably in the U.S. Navy and Ian was eligible for her survivor benefits through both the Veterans Administration and Social Security. He had hoped these funds would help him through college and to establish stable housing and secure transportation. However, Ian learned when he turned 18 and exited foster care that the system had depleted those funds.”

Committee members expressed similar sentiments to those that were heard during the debate in 2024. Ferguson Democrat Raychel Proudie has been among the most vocal.

“The fact that any government would do such a thing to some of the most vulnerable people on the planet, let alone children, is absolutely repugnant. The fact that we do this makes me sick. It’s outrageous,” Proudie said.

She explained how this practice could create a situation in which foster children don’t receive the same care that peers in their households receive, because there isn’t enough money to go around.

“I’m so embarrassed that our state does this. It does add some equity when you’re raising kids, foster children, to not treat them like they’re not your kids. That’s all they want, is to be treated like they belong somewhere.”

St. Peters Republican Wendy Hausman also filed a version of this proposal. She thanked Schmidt for carrying it.

“This is an amazing bill and it needs to be done, and we need to pass this as fast as we can because children need this.”

Chairwoman Holly Jones (R-Eureka) joined others on the Committee in thanking Speaker Patterson for making this a priority.

“I love that we are starting this year, this 103^rd General Assembly Children and Families Committee off with this bill, and something that we can all get around.”

HB 737 includes two other provisions.

One would specify that the offense of abuse or neglect of a child does not include letting a child do things like going to school or nearby locations on foot or by bicycle; play outside; or stay at home for a reasonable amount of time without supervision. Any such “independent activities” must be deemed appropriate for the child’s age, maturity, and physical and mental abilities.

The other would require the Children’s Division to attempt to place a child in its care with a person, agency, or institution governed by persons of the same religious faith as that of at least one of the child’s parents. Missouri Courts must already do so. The bill would require that the Division follow the same procedure.

The committee has not voted on HB 737.

Earlier story: House Acts to Stop State Seizure of Benefits Intended for Foster Children

House panel asked to stem ‘medical kidnappings’ by the state

A House committee has been presented with stories of a parent’s nightmare: children being taken by the state based on false suspicions of parental abuse. Legislators are being asked to address the issue, but finding a balance is difficult when the safety of children is at stake.

*Representatives Jamie Gragg and Holly Jones (Photo: Mike Lear, Missouri House Communications)*

The stories shared some similarities. Parents take a child to a doctor for care for a broken bone. A medical professional suspects the parent of abuse and contacts the state. The state takes the child and its siblings from the parents.

Months or more go by. Eventually, a medical diagnosis reveals an explanation for the broken bones that doesn’t involve abuse. After many frustrating circumstances, much heartache, and the passage of a lot of time, parents and children are reunited, but there are no apologies and much, much damage has been done.

“The bigger picture, again, is: we don’t have any rights at all, as soon as anybody says, ‘This is abuse,’” Rebecca Wanosik told the House Committee on Children and Families.

Wanosik was one of those who shared her ordeal with the Committee, as was Tessa Gorzik.

Gorzik said, “It’s not a one-time thing and you’re done, whether you are convicted of it or not, or accused of it or not. It’s ‘you’re guilty’ from day one and you have to fight your whole entire life to get those allegations overturned when there should have never been allegations from the get-go if they had done their job appropriately from the get-go.”

This is what Representatives Holly Jones (R-Eureka) and Jamie Gragg (R-Ozark) are trying to address with House Bills 2690 and 2691. They are proposing that when a child is placed into 24-hour protective custody due to suspicion of child abuse, custody cannot be extended if a parent or other authorized guardian presents proof that contradicts the allegation of abuse.

Jones said it would allow a parent to present a second opinion.

“There are children that have never been diagnosed [with diseases that can cause injuries that resemble abuse], so there’s no proof to be had, as of yet. That’s the spirit of the bill, is to be able to offer parents an option when some of these medical conditions could be happening and they’re being accused of child abuse when no such abuse is occurring.”

Wanosik said such provisions would have saved her a great deal of pain.

She said five of her children were taken from her in 2015 when the youngest, then nine weeks old, was found during a doctor visit to have three rib fractures and an arm fracture. She said her family was denied second opinions and denied access to her child’s medical records.

While her children were in state custody, the infant developed more fractures. Rather than see this as a possible sign that the parents weren’t responsible, the state said the parents could have caused these new fractures during visits, despite those visits being supervised.

Eventually, a medical diagnosis revealed another explanation for the injuries, but the allegations did not go away.

“They ruled by a preponderance of evidence that my baby was clearly a victim of child abuse and neglect but they couldn’t pin a perpetrator, and then they gave me my children back,” said Wanosik. “It’s very common, actually, because you’re not held to the same standard [of] the criminal court and there was never enough evidence for us to be criminally charged,” so they just kept running us through the family court system.”

Now, Wanosik is the Treasurer for a group called Fractured Families, a group that advocates for situations like hers.

“I wholeheartedly believe that [HBs] 2690 and 2691 are going to open up the gateway to at least provide protection for families in the fact that we [could, if it passed,] access the child, the [medical] records.”

The Committee’s members responded favorably to the proposals but expressed concern that the language needs to be refined.

Ferguson Representative Raychel Proudie (D) said it’s unclear to whom any kind of proof of a medical condition would need to be presented.

“You’re at my house, I’m about to go to jail, you’re about to take my kids, I have the proof, who do I show? Do I show the police? The nurse? It’s the weekend. It’s a Saturday. Court’s closed. My kid has been in your possession now for over 24 hours and I don’t know to whom I am showing this proof. How do we remedy that?”

The Missouri Network Against Child Abuse (formerly Missouri KidsFirst), an entity respected by many lawmakers when considering child abuse legislation, spoke in opposition to the bills. Its Executive Director, Jessica Seitz, said the bills focus on one piece of an abuse allegation.

“In the overall investigation of an allegation of abuse, the medical opinion is not the arbiter, the decider of the outcome. It is one part of the investigation.”

Further, Seitz said the “proof” the bill centers on is not defined, calling the language, “vague and problematic, and being unspecified puts us at risk of a child being left in an unsafe situation.”

Seitz challenged the premise of the bill, that there is a need for a state law to allow parents to get a second opinion when they are being investigated for child abuse.

“A second opinion is always welcome in the court process, but just introducing a second opinion as a part of the overall investigation … should not short circuit the process and mandate the outcome, introducing one factor in the overall investigation. We risk putting our kids in danger.”

However, Seitz emphasized respect for the efforts of Jones and Gragg, saying she wants to work with them to improve the system.

Jones said she remains adamant that something must change, because the damage done to children and their families when the state takes children away is long-lasting and runs deep.

“That’s one of the reasons why we’re trying to move forward with this bill so quickly, is that our foster care system is not only so overrun and it’s such a huge part of the children and families organization throughout the state, this is really going to cut back on the mental health issues and the trauma to families,” Jones said.

Committee member Ed Lewis (R-Moberly) acknowledged Seitz’s concerns but told her, “We are going to move forward with this bill, if I have anything to say about it, but you need to be a part of the picture. Your organization needs to be a part of the picture because if you’re not, it’s not going to be the balanced, thread-the-needle approach that has to happen so that we both protect those children who are actually being abused and … I would say [just] as important, [is] protecting those families and those parents and those children who aren’t being abused but get caught up in the system.”

Gragg echoed Lewis’ sentiment, telling the committee he knew addressing this issue would be challenging.

“There’s a very fine line that we’re trying to close the gap on, from protecting the kids that need protecting … and also not taking advantage, or overstepping, with those [cases of children with parents] that are falsely accused of something. We’re trying to narrow that gap, and the problem with that narrow line, that fine line, is it ain’t straight. That is for sure.”

Family of girl with rare condition urges House to ‘Believe in Gianna,’ help raise awareness of Sanfilippo Syndrome

The family of a little girl afflicted with what is sometimes called “childhood Alzheimer’s” is asking the legislature to make her birthday a day to raise awareness, to thereby improve the lives of other children faced with this rare condition.

Gianna Marie Wacker wasn’t expected to live past her early teens. When she sat with her family in a House committee hearing last week she was exceeding those expectations.

“Our Gianna is a unicorn. Her doctors describe her as that because she’s 15 years old, and she’s still doing pretty good, so we’re proud to have her here today,” Representative Holly Jones (R-Eureka) told her fellow legislators.

Gianna smiled through the entire hearing, as her siblings, parents, and grandparents laughed and smiled with her, proud of their “unicorn.” Just feet away, Jones and others fought back tears explaining Gianna’s condition, Mucopolysaccharidosis type III, more commonly called “Sanfilippo Syndrome.” It is thought to affect as few as nine out of every million babies born, worldwide.

“It’s a terminal, neurodegenerative disease. It causes children to lose all the skills that they’ve developed over their young lives,” Jones said.

Gianna’s younger brother, Luke, told lawmakers, “Because of this disease, G has never learned to read. She used to be able to play soccer and enjoy dance class. She is losing the ability to write letters to her friends and communicate appropriately.”

What they’re asking of the legislature is to make November 13 each year, “Believe in Gianna Day.”

“A naming bill doesn’t seem very powerful, but awareness is the key factor in this disease to help promote a cure,” explained her father, Jackson Wacker. “Rare disease, as most of you know, is a difficult situation for any family, for any individual, and the most powerful thing we can do is to raise money to help find a cure, and awareness is a key component in that. [‘Believe in Gianna’] will not only be a huge win for our family, but a huge win for any child suffering from a rare disease that will take their life.”

Gianna’s mother, Theresa Wacker, said awareness is also important for potentially helping other children who have the condition but it hasn’t been diagnosed. She explained to the House Committee on Tourism that before doctors finally stumbled upon Gianna’s diagnosis on June 15, 2021, the family had been wondering for six years what was wrong.

*The Wacker family (left to right) Gianna, Luke, Jackson, Theresa, Rep. Holly Jones*, *and Emma Kate, and in front is Anna.*

“Nobody has heard about this, [most] doctors don’t know about this. They’ve never even heard of this syndrome, so with G’s story and telling her story to so many others, not just in Missouri, around the United States, to help a child get a diagnosis sooner in life is huge,” Theresa said.

Backers of House Bill 2580 explained that an earlier diagnosis could mean that a child would be more likely to get into medical trials. Such trials could benefit not only participants but others suffering from the condition, as doctors search for a cure.

Theresa said the bill also seeks to build on, and continue, what’s been happening in her community. Since Gianna’s diagnosis, there have been several fundraising events, including two golf tournaments held at a local golf club; signs have sprung up around Eureka with the word “believe,” in Gianna’s handwriting; and more than $100,000 has been raised for the Cure Sanfilippo Foundation.

“This is a movement,” Theresa told the committee. “G is moving mountains right now. She is changing the world with her smile every minute of the day, and that is what we hope to do and continue to do, so [Believe in Gianna Day], it would be amazing for not just her but for all these children in the world suffering from this.”

Jones said what the family has done has been truly inspiring, and they hope a Believe in Gianna Day will expand it.

“There are a couple of different types of people in this world: those that allow tragedy and travesty to completely break them down and shatter their lives, or the other kind, that rallies together, holds on to those that they love, and moves on in the most positives ways in a devastating situation, and that’s what this family has done,” said Jones.

As Luke Wacker put it, “Please consider Believe in G Day in Missouri to celebrate not only my sister but all these other children suffering from Sanfilippo Syndrome. We believe in G, and I want all of you to believe in G too.”

Note to media outlets: the original version of the bill would have created “Believe in G Day,” but the committee voted to change that (with the family’s blessing) to “Believe in Gianna Day.” Some audio cuts reflect the earlier version of the proposal.

Tougher penalties proposed for those who roam neighborhoods checking car doors

One state lawmaker says too many Missourians don’t feel safe in their own neighborhoods, and he believes tougher laws are the answer. A House panel has endorsed his proposal.

*Representative Jim Murphy (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)*

Representative Jim Murphy (R-St. Louis) says groups of individuals are routinely going through neighborhoods in his south St. Louis County district seeking opportunities to steal from homes and cars. This typically involves pulling door handles on multiple cars, looking for those that are unlocked.

“This is happening every night in St. Louis County, every single night. If you have a Ring doorbell you get these neighborhood alerts. Every single day I get, oh they’re checking doors in this neighborhood, they’re checking doors in that neighborhood. It’s just something now that is neighborhood terrorism,” Murphy told the House Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety.

“They also go and check for the garage door openers, and they open the garage door and they go in and pilfer the garage. They’ve gotten more bold, because now not only are they doing that but they see you have cameras, so what they do is they show their weapons daring you to come out.”

Murphy told his colleagues that the people committing these acts feel no fear of punishment. He said the way Missouri statutes are written doesn’t cover these acts, or they fall under crimes which carry too little punishment. In incidents involving juveniles, the penalties are so lenient that when law enforcement does catch them in these acts, they are often simply let go.

He is sponsoring House Bill 1510, which would create the crime of “unlawfully gaining entry into a motor vehicle,” defined by the act of lifting the handles of, or otherwise attempting to open, the doors of successive vehicles in an attempt to gain entry. It would be a class E felony, punishable by up to four years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.

It would also extend the crime of second-degree burglary to include unlawfully entering a vehicle, or any part of a vehicle, with the intent to commit a felony or theft. A person could commit such an offense with any part of the body, or with an object connected with the body. Burglary is a class D felony, which carries up to seven years in prison. If a person violating this provision has or steals a firearm, it would be a class C felony, punishable by three to ten years in prison.

“I voted for it in the past, I intend to vote for it now,” Representative Robert Sauls (D-Independence) told Murphy, but he questioned the design of the legislation. He and others on the committee asked whether these acts could fall under existing crimes without creating a new offense.

Murphy said it’s time to be more pointed.

“Doesn’t it send a message? If there’s a law out there that says you can’t tamper with, pull a door handle … now the word’s out,” Murphy said. “I think you really need it to be specific to make it known that this is the crime.”

At least one committee member, Representative Holly Jones (R-Eureka), said she is in full support.

“This has happened to me in my driveway, in my neighborhood. They have come through my neighborhood and opened garage doors stealing things out of the garage, they have tried getting into the vehicles, some other vehicles have been damaged on the inside … This is absolutely ridiculous because there are no consequences,” Jones told Murphy.

The committee has voted to advance that bill. It will next be considered by another committee, and from there could be sent to the full House for consideration.