Missouri House Republicans and Democrats addressed reporters and answered questions after the first day of the 2024 legislative session:
Blair’s Law against ‘celebratory gunfire’ back for 2024 session
For the twelfth time, Missouri legislators will be asked by the mother of a little girl killed by a stray bullet to increase penalties for the careless firing of guns.
The legislature this past session sent “Blair’s Law” to the desk of Governor Mike Parson (R). It was the first time that proposal reached the desk of a governor. Parson expressed support for it calling it something he’d “like to sign into law,” but it was only one measure among several that were combined into one bill, Senate Bill 189. He had issues with some of the other measures, and so it was vetoed.
Blair’s Law is named for Blair Shanahan Lane, who was 11 when she was hit by a stray bullet while celebrating Independence Day, 2011, with her family. Someone more than half a mile away carelessly fired their gun into the air and one of those bullets struck Blair in the neck. She died the next day.
The man who fired that gun served 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter. No state law directly addresses what is often called, “celebratory gunfire.” Every legislative session Blair’s death, her mother has come to Jefferson City to change that.
Michele Shanahan DeMoss said since Blair’s Law was vetoed, after being passed for the first time after more than a decade of work, she has been, “thoughtful.
The “processes” to which she refers are the renewed efforts to see Blair’s Law become part of Missouri law. That is a top priority for two state lawmakers, and that is why the proposal was again among those prefiled on December 1; the first day that bills could be filed for the 2024 session.
One of those legislators is Representative Mark Sharp (D), who will be carrying that proposal for the fifth straight year. He said even though it was vetoed, he and other supporters see its passage last year as a win.
Joining the list of legislators who over the years have sponsored Blair’s Law is Belton Republican Sherri Gallick, who is in her second year in the Missouri House. Gallick met DeMoss while campaigning in 2022 and that’s when she first heard Blair’s story.
Gallick said of DeMoss, “She has been steadfast … there’s been other legislators throughout the years that have tried to help and she’s still very adamant. She wants to do this. She wants to get it across the finish line for her daughter.”
House Bills 1437 (Gallick) and 1477 (Sharp) would specify that a person is guilty of unlawful discharge of a firearm if they, with criminal negligence, discharge a firearm in or into the limits of a municipality. A first offense would be a class “A” misdemeanor which carries up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000; a second time would be a class “E” felony carrying up to four years in prison; and third and any subsequent offense would be a class “D” felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Even as efforts to pass Blair’s Law continue, incidents involving stray gunfire keep happening. Last month, while in her own bedroom in her south Kansas City home, 11 year-old Lauren Reddick was hit by two bullets. One of those left her paralyzed.
On New Year’s Eve, the Department’s SoundSpotter system identified more than 2,300 rounds fired between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on January 1. That was more than double the total detected by that sound capturing technology one year prior.
Over the years that Blair’s Law has been proposed, the attention it has gotten has created awareness of the dangers presented by careless gunfire, and its supporters hope that will continue to be a residual benefit of their efforts.
“It is absolutely unbelievable, the places I go, not even in Missouri, that either somebody will learn the story, recognize me, somebody else will tell them, and a conversation [will begin] with regards to celebratory gunfire, firing a gun recklessly, and unfortunately even other tragic situations, because of the conversation continuing and that really is the biggest thing that I share,” DeMoss said. “Year after year it would be nice to cross the finish line, have it signed into law and see the goodness that really transpires from it. Raising the awareness is one thing but being able to actually prosecute the crime would, I think, be the game changer.”
Gallick, like other Republicans who have carried or spoken in support of the legislation through the years, says among other things it is an issue of responsible gun ownership.
Both representatives say they are optimistic about the legislation’s chances of passage in 2024, given its overwhelming bipartisan support and the Governor’s message. They also commend DeMoss, who they say is “inspiring” as she has remained consistent and undaunted.
“There are so many people that think I should be devastated that it didn’t pass and I’m not devastated,” said DeMoss. “There are so many disappointments that I could list but … the worst things that could happen to a human being happened to Blair and changed my life forever, and I will continue lobbying. I will continue educating, carrying on the conversation that celebratory gunfire, firing a gun recklessly is stupidity. To continue to persevere to change the law, to make the law what we’ve been working on absolutely needs to be done.”
The new session of the Missouri General Assembly begins January 3.
House plan would stabilize Missourians’ vehicle property tax values
Missourians in recent years have been slapped with high and increasing property tax bills for their vehicles, and state lawmakers are going to try again this year to stem that.
The issue has been a top one for two legislators who were assessors before they came to Jefferson City.
One of them is Representative Rodger Reedy (R-Windsor), who sees his House Bill 1690 as a taxpayer protection act.
“We are trying to do this to make it better for our taxpayers and to be more fair to them,” Reedy said.
The other is Representative Brad Hudson (R-Cape Fair), who said when he was an assessor, “I would have never wanted to sit across the desk from someone and say, ‘Hey, you know that farm truck that you’ve got? Yeah, it’s a year older, yeah it’s got more miles on it, but I’m going to hit you with a higher assessment this year and you’re going to have to pay more in property taxes because of that.’ That doesn’t make sense. It’s not right.”
The issue with vehicle valuations began in 2020 when the COVID pandemic halted supply lines. Parts for vehicles were harder to come by this inflated the demand for, and therefore the values of, used vehicles.
“So what the end result has been, you would have the same vehicle and it would be a year older but the trade-in value would show to be higher, so your assessment would be higher and you would pay more taxes on that vehicle that’s a year older,” Reedy explained. “I basically, fundamentally think that if that vehicle’s a year older, typically you’ve got 20-30 thousand more miles on it, you should not be paying more taxes on it than you did the year before.”
The state statute to which Hudson refers dictates that assessors must use the October issue of the National Automobile Dealers Association’s (NADA) Used Car Guide to determine the value of a motor vehicle. Reedy’s bill would allow the State Tax Commission to designate a different nationally produced automobile guide to be used by assessors. His proposal would also establish a depreciation schedule to be applied to the values set forth in that automobile guide.
“It makes sure that these used vehicles depreciate in value for taxation purposes,” Reedy said.
Hudson said the issue of inflated vehicle valuations has the potential to negatively impact every household in Missouri.
Reedy said the problem hasn’t abated on its own the passage of time, “I can give you a case where a vehicle that had a value of $7,300 in 2021 went to $7,600 in 2022. Even now, in ’23 that same vehicle has just dropped back to $7,500, so [the owner of] that particular vehicle will pay more taxes in 2023 than [they] paid in 2021.”
Both lawmakers said this is exactly the kind of issue Missouri lawmakers should be addressing on behalf of their constituents.
This year’s version of this legislation was passed out of the House 150-0 before stalling out in the Senate. In 2022, Hudson carried a version of the bill that cleared the House 146-0 but also did not clear the Senate.
Prefiling for the 2024 Legislative Session Opens with More Than 300 Bills
As the Missouri General Assembly prepares for the 2024 legislative session, House members are revealing their legislative agendas for the upcoming year. While the official commencement of the legislative session is in January, December 1st marks the true beginning for many legislators, who are allowed on that date to start filing bills for the forthcoming session. On this first day 343 bills were prefiled.
Bills that are prefiled are officially introduced on the first day of the session, January 3. Members have the ability to introduce bills until March 1.
Historically, the first day of prefiling witnesses a substantial influx of bills. For the 2023 legislative session, House members submitted 336 bills on the inaugural day, contributing to a cumulative total of 578 bills during the entire pre-filing period. Comparatively, for the 2022 session, legislators initiated the pre-filing process with 372 bills on the first day en route to total of 770 bills, deviating from the 688 bills filed for the 2021 legislative session and the record-breaking 776 bills for the 2020 session.
For the 2024 session, legislators will propose bills covering a diverse range of topics, aiming to enhance the state’s policies to better serve the needs of all residents. Some say the pre-filing process sets the tone for session. It’s when lawmakers can make their priorities known before the session begins. While that is true, it doesn’t mean those bills have a better chance of making it into law. As the statistics show, pre-filed bills are on virtually the same ground as those filed later on in the process. There is no significant practical advantage to having a low bill number, but House members still strive to be the first to file their bills. Bills are typically referred to legislative committees in numerical order, which potentially gives prefiled measures a better chance of being heard in committee.
One change that members will be subject to in the 2024 legislative session is a new provision added in the House rules during the 2023 legislative session. This new provision, outlined in House Rule 39, restricts members from submitting more than 20 bills without obtaining prior approval from the Speaker of the House. Officially implemented on July 1, 2023, this marks the first legislative session wherein members must adhere to the newly imposed cap on the number of bills they can file.
To stay informed about pre-filed bills in the House, please visit the official website of the Missouri House of Representatives at house.mo.gov and click on the “Pre-filed Bills” link. The upcoming legislative session’s first day is scheduled for January 3, 2024.
Attempt to stem catalytic converter thefts to return in 2024 session
Legislators will again this year be asked to stem the thefts of catalytic converters from Missourians and in doing so, it is hoped, get some people into drug treatment programs that could improve their lives.
The House in the last two years has given overwhelming approval to bills that would make such thefts a felony, while requiring additional reporting to the state from entities that purchase catalytic converters. The same proposal will be among those filed for the 2024 session after prefiling begins on December 1.
Representative Don Mayhew (R-Crocker) says that the bill has been refined over several sessions.
“I think at this point we have vetted this thing to death,” said Mayhew.
The proposal’s bipartisan support includes Representative Aaron Crossley (D-Independence), who has himself filed a portion of that language. He said the issue has impacted his neighborhood and workplace.
Mayhew has become adept at explaining the issue, having presented it to his colleagues several times over the years. It begins with the two very different ways catalytic converters are valued: their value when stolen and scrapped, and the value to replace them.
“To me it’s also a working person’s issue,” Crossley said. “When somebody has to go out and replace their catalytic converter and those can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 to replace, that’s a big chunk of change for a working person to have to go put down just to get a small part for their car replaced.”
Converters are an easy and profitable target because an experienced thief can steal one in as little as 30 seconds, and because they contain rare and valuable metals they can be sold to a salvager for anywhere from $50 to $900.
Even in the case of a new vehicle with full coverage insurance, the deductible cost is usually more than the cost of replacing the converter. Mayhew says most people who are victims of such thefts have liability coverage only.
Democrats have been very vocal in recent years in opposing legislation that would increase sentencing in other areas of law. Crossley says in this case, however, stiffened penalties make sense.
Mayhew said there would be an element of compassion in increasing these penalties. It could get more people into the drug treatment programs of the state’s courts, which have historically been very effective.
“Most catalytic converters are stolen because the person who’s stealing it has a drug problem. Well until we make it a felony then we can’t get that person to drug court. On a misdemeanor, they don’t go to drug court, but on a felony, then our local prosecutors can, in those cases where it was a person who was simply trying to feed this habit that they’ve acquired, if we can get them to drug court maybe we can kill two birds with one stone,” explains Mayhew. “We can help this person, turn them into a productive citizen, but also reduce the amount of crime that’s happening in our county.”
Mayhew said the proposed changes in reporting requirements for salvagers would also increase accountability for those buyers.
That includes getting a photocopy of the seller’s driver’s license and recording the license plate number of the vehicle that brought in the converter – both of which are already required – and the proposed new requirements of getting the make, model, and serial number of the vehicle off of which the converter came; and providing a signed affidavit saying the converter wasn’t stolen. These new requirements would only apply to individuals, rather than established businesses.
Crossley supports the additional reporting requirements, and it is this area with which his legislation filed in the 2023 session dealt.
Mayhew said such reporting would also let Missouri at last know how many catalytic converters are being salvaged, and “keep honest people honest.
Mayhew notes that in the last two years, legislation dealing with this issue has passed out of the House 153-1 and 143-2, and in at least one of those cases, he said a “no” vote came from someone who thought he was voting on a different amendment. He said the legislation isn’t just a caucus priority, it’s a legislative priority.
He and Crossley hope that 2024 proves to be the year that the measure makes it into statute.
“It’s a growing issue that we have to tackle because nobody is served by not doing anything,” said Crossley.
The new legislative session begins January 3.
Families no longer have to pay for highway memorials for fallen first responders and service people
Memorials for fallen veterans, police officers, and firefighters, and for those missing in action, will no longer be paid for by the families of those individuals, under legislation that became law this year.
It’s called the “FA Paul Akers, Junior, and LCPL Jared Schmitz Memorial Sign Funding Act,” and it stemmed from the efforts to memorialize those two men, both of whom died while serving their country. When legislators learned that their families were billed for the signs honoring them, they proposed the language that would have those costs paid for by the Department of Transportation.
“Most people in Missouri didn’t like the idea, just like I didn’t … that once we honor a fallen hero, we didn’t realize the paper trail behind the scenes was to send these invoices to their family members,” said Representative Tricia Byrnes (R-Wentzville).
Representative Don Mayhew (R-Crocker) said what was happening was “a shock to, in fact, everyone who’s ever gotten a memorial sign done. A lot of times what they have to do is they go around and they get donations from the VFW and other places in order to pay for the sign because, many of them, they don’t have $3,000 laying around for a memorial sign for the highway.”
Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, of St. Charles, was among 13 U.S. Service Members and more than 100 others killed in a suicide bombing at a Kabul airport during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. His family wanted to honor him with signs to designate an overpass on I-70 in Wentzville as a memorial bridge bearing his name.
His father, Mark Schmitz, said the family got a bill for those signs.
Schmitz, who lives in Byrnes’ district, said he supported her legislation not so much due to his family’s experience (donations covered their $3,200 cost in a matter of hours after an online fundraising effort was launched).
Schmitz said the passage of this legislation is, for him, in honor of his son.
Mayhew’s experience with the issue began with an effort to honor Fireman Apprentice Paul Akers, Junior, who was killed in the January, 1969 explosion and fire on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, CVAN-65, off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Akers was also from Crocker.
Mayhew is just glad the proposal finally became law.
“I also want to apologize to those families who have lost loved ones in service to our nation and our state who had to pay for these signs over the years. I hope that they can take solace in the fact that no other family will have to suffer from the cost of these signs ever again,” said Mayhew. “These Gold Star families have already given all in service to the country. The least we could do is pay for a memorial sign.”
Byrnes said the legislation was the subject of very little opposition, and for good reason.
The family of LCPL Schmitz isn’t finished honoring him. His father said they are now working to raise money for a series of 100-acre recreational retreat camps, one in each state, for veterans and their families to use for free. Each will have 13 available houses, one for each of the U.S. service people killed in the attack in which his son died.
Advocates who deal with veteran suicide and mental health issues say one of the best outlets for veterans, especially those who have experienced combat, is other veterans.
Byrnes and Mayhew sponsored identical bills. When Byrnes’ version, House Bill 882, came to a House vote, it passed 153-0. The language later became law as part of Senate Bills 139 and 127.
House legislation enables safe place to surrender newborns in Missouri
The first Baby Box in Missouri has been installed, and more are coming.
Baby Boxes are an extension of the Safe Haven law, which allows parents to relinquish a newborn up to 45 days old without fear of prosecution. That law, in place in Missouri since 2002, allows for babies to be dropped off at places including hospitals and fire stations, but Baby Boxes offer an option for parents who don’t want face-to-face contact.
“The whole idea of the Baby Boxes is [for there to be] no interaction with one human to another, so if you just want to do it and you want to do it anonymously, this is a method of doing it,” said Representative Jim Murphy (R-St. Louis), who sponsored the language that made Baby Boxes an option in Missouri.
For mothers in need of help, the Safe Haven Crisis Line is (866) 99BABY1, or visit shbb.org
The first Box in the state is in his district, at Mehlville Fire Protection District Station 2. There is a commitment for a second Box at Mehlville, and more fire stations in the state are expressing interest.
Murphy said the Safe Haven Law is saving the lives of children.
The box is built into an outer wall at the Mehlville Fire Station. A parent can open it, place a baby inside in a bassinet, and close the door. Alarms will alert personnel on duty, who will remove the bassinet and take the baby to a hospital.
Murphy said since his language became law two years ago, the state had to develop language to ensure Boxes would be safe.
Founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes Monica Kelsey helped guide the legislation that allows for these Boxes in Missouri and other states. So far more than 160 have been installed.
She said there are many reasons a parent might want to give up a child, including factors like financial struggles, mental health issues, or domestic abuse. She wants people to support those who utilize the Safe Haven Law.
Babies who are dropped off under Safe Haven receive immediate care, and Kelsey said they are adopted within 30 to 45 days.
“Every baby that has come through the Baby Box program and the Safe Haven program has been adopted.”
For those who drop off a baby under Safe Haven, there is time to change their mind and reclaim their child.
“I don’t think our intent is to take babies away from parents. Our intent is to protect children,” said Murphy.
“They can get their children back as long as the termination of parental rights has not happened and that usually takes between 30 and 45 days,” said Kelsey.
The installation of this Baby Box has gotten a lot of attention, but Murphy and Kelsey want to stress that it is not the only place in the state to drop off a child.
Murphy’s Baby Box language was introduced in 2021 as House Bill 76, which was approved by the House 151-1. It was later amended to and became law as part of, House Bill 432 sponsored by Representative Hannah Kelly (R-Mountain Grove).
Since its installation in August, the Box in Mehlville hasn’t been used. Since the Safe Haven Law was adopted in Missouri in 2002, 61 babies have been surrendered.
Kelsey said those who want to see a Baby Box installed in their community can contact her organization for help.
For mothers in need of help, the Safe Haven Crisis Line is (866) 99BABY1. Kelsey’s organization, Safe Haven Baby Boxes, can be found online at shbb.org.
Missouri adds historic Hawken rifle to list of State Symbols
A rifle that was created in St. Louis and was integral to the shaping of the West is now Missouri’s Official State Rifle.
The Hawken muzzle-loading rifle was created by Jacob and Samuel Hawken, brothers who learned gunsmithing from their father before opening a shop in St. Louis in 1815. As the Rocky Mountain fur trade was getting underway, the brothers created the rifle meet the needs of fur trappers, explorers, traders, and others venturing out into then-largely unexplored parts of what today is the United States, west of Missouri.
Legislators hope that by making this one of the symbols of the state, it will draw people to learn more about this part of history.
“With the fur trade era, this just opened up the entire West, and the fact that it started right here in Missouri, I think is just incredible. People couldn’t just go to Wal-Mart and just go buy clothes,” said Representative Mazzie Boyd (R-Hamilton), who sponsored the idea. “I think it’s just a whole different world that sometimes people just don’t even think about.”
Representative Doug Clemens (D-St. Ann) also carried the state rifle legislation, after a gunsmith friend of his approached him about the idea. Clemens, who has a minor in history, said the Hawken gave those in the frontier a reliable, high-quality weapon that was effective at very long range.
House members this past session heard from historians who said giving the Hawken this state designation would be appropriate.
“It’s about more than just the gun. It’s about the history of the western fur trade and how that was the economic engine for the State of Missouri around 1825, first coming out of the mountains into St. Louis and then being shipped all over the world to be used in beaver hats and fur hats and things like that,” said Paul Fennewald, former state Homeland Security coordinator and historian.
He said it was actually one of the state’s first executives who spurred the rifle’s creation.
“It was a change from the long guns … the Pennsylvania guns. Once they started going west, that gun needed to be stouter because it had to go so far on horseback and survive in the mountains and so forth,” said Historian and Dekalb County Commissioner Kyle Carroll. “There’s nothing that would compare to the reputation that the Hawken had, the significance of it.”
Representatives Boyd and Clemens both, at the recent Hawken Classic event in Defiance, had to chance to fire both an original Hawken and a replica. Both say they shot well with it, and they were given plaques for supporting the rifle’s state symbol designation this year. Both said it was an honor to fire the 190 year-old original, which Boyd notes, is very valuable.
“If you want to get an original Hawken it’s over six figures now.”
The replica Hawken they fired is expected to go on display in the Missouri Capitol, as an addition to the State Museum on the Capitol’s first floor. Clemens is looking forward to having fun with that.
“I’ve been joking that’s going to be one of my ‘old man’ things,” he said. “I’m going to go in the Capitol and I’m going to point at that rifle behind the glass and I’m going to say, ‘I shot that gun!’”
Missouri becomes at least the 10th state to have a firearm among its state symbols. That Hawken rifle language was added to Senate Bill 139, which was signed into law in July.
Republican post-veto session press conference
Missouri House Republicans addressed reporters and fielded questions after the close of the veto session, today:
Birth Certificates language will help escapes from domestic violence
Escaping domestic violence in Missouri might have gotten a little easier, under legislation that became law August 28.
One of the greatest obstacles facing victims of domestic violence involves possession of the documents they need to start their lives over. A provision in Senate Bill 28 will provide free copies of birth certificates when those are requested by victims.
The idea came out of the Southeast Missouri Family Violence Council, who brought it to Representative Chris Dinkins (R-Lesterville), and she immediately saw its importance.
“When the SEMO Family Violence Council brought this to my attention, [I could see that This was a real-life issue that people were facing on a daily basis and it was a good thing to get done for the people,” said Dinkins. “We want to do everything we can, everything in our power, to help them move on and get out of these situations.”
Tracy Carroll is the Assistant Director and Case Manager for the Council. As a case manager she has seen, countless times, people trying to get out of abusive situations but struggling to do so because they needed documentation.
Often, victims escape from an abusive home in the middle of the night and even perhaps during a violent incident. They leave with little more than the clothes on their back and the backs of their children, only to later realize that they need documentation to do things like get a job or enroll children in school.
The $15 apiece fee to get a copy of a birth certificate often presents a huge obstacle for someone in a crisis situation. Shelters, then, have typically covered that fee, but Carroll said that adds up quickly and takes away from other things shelters aim to provide.
“I don’t think people realize those kinds of things are not in our grants. We have to come up with that money out of our general revenue or … we have been in here counting [one dollar bills] and stuff trying to get a birth certificate for somebody,” said Carroll. She said in one case, “A lady, she had seven children … and needed to all get enrolled in school. Well at $15 a pop times seven children plus herself, and then to top it off they came in at Christmas … that family, we just shelled out a large chunk of money that could be used for other resources for them, had we not had to purchase all those.”
The Council’s Executive Director, Stephanie Bennett, said after they met with Rep. Dinkins at an event in the capital city and brought up the issue, she recognized its importance and asked them to bring her some legislation.
Later, the Missouri Coalition for Domestic and Sexual Violence, the membership of which includes the Council and other shelters around the state, picked up the issue and advocated for it. Dinkins said that helped get the proposal the traction it needed.
While this could make an immeasurable difference for many victims, Bennett hopes the passage of this language in SB 28 is only the beginning.
Carroll said cost isn’t the only issue regarding certificates from other states. She said different lengths of delays in getting documents mean victims can be forced to sit idle, sometimes for months, before they can begin rebuilding their lives and the lives of their children.
“We did one in California, it took us ten weeks to get the birth certificate.”
The language in SB 28 authorizes a waiver of the fee for a Missouri birth certificate when a victim of domestic violence or abuse requests it, documentation signed by a victim advocate; attorney; or health or mental health care provider who has assisted that person accompanies that request.