JEFFERSON CITY — Five of my bills were voted “Do Pass” in House committees this week:
HB725, my “smash and grab” ATM bill, was voted “Do Pass” in a vote of 21 Ayes to 0 Noes by the Standing Committee on Crime Prevention & Public Safety. This bill adds damaging, destroying, or making inoperable, a “teller machine”, as defined in the bill, to the offense of property damage in the first degree.
My Ste. Genevieve Mining bill/HB982, was voted “Do Pass” by the Standing Committee on Rural Community Development. This bill authorizes a county commission or health board to enact reasonable ordinances, orders, or regulations applicable to any mining or surface mining conducted in the Lamotte Sandstone geologic formation in the county.
Designating the “Don Welge Memorial Bridge”/HB487 in Perry County was voted “Do Pass – Consent” by the Standing Committee on Consent and House Procedure by a vote of 7 to 0.
HB644/Hemp Extract Repeal was Voted “Do Pass – Consent” by the Standing Committee on Consent and House Procedure by a vote of 7 Ayes to 0 Noes. This bill repeals provisions of current law relating to hemp extract for treatment and hemp cultivation and production licensing under the Department of Agriculture.
HB202/ Repealing Industrial Hemp was voted “Do Pass” by the Standing Committee on Rules – Administrative Oversight in a vote of 6 to 0. This bill repeals the Industrial Hemp Regulatory Program in Missouri.
Violent Crime in St. Louis (HB702)
In an effort to address the violent crime that has plagued St. Louis, we gave first round approval to legislation that would put the city’s police force under the control of a state-appointed board. The state gave St. Louis city the control of the police department in 2012 after more than 150 years of the St. Louis Police Department being under the control of the state. In 2012 voters approved a ballot measure that put the department under the control of the city.
A little over ten years ago the city took control of the police department and campaign promises were made on lowering crime, saving money, and economic growth in the region. We’ve seen the complete opposite. Murders have risen. Crime per capita has risen. The department has been defunded. Officers don’t have the equipment or training to perform their job. St. Louis ranks at the top of the most dangerous cities in the country and in the world. My wife won’t go to a Cardinal game with me unless it’s a day game and we park in a garage that connects to the stadium. So, even though I’m a supporter of local control, I believe that crime in St. Louis city is effecting most of our state and needs the states’ help.
Limiting Foreign Ownership of Farmland (HB903)
This week we approved a critical national security bill that would protect fair competition and limit foreign ownership of Missouri farmland by defined enemies of the United States of America. This bill would limit foreign ownership of Missouri farmland to 0.5%, from the current restriction in statute of 1%. It would require foreign entities to report sales, acquisitions, or transfers of land to the Missouri Attorney General and Secretary of State. The bill absolutely prohibits a foreign business from certain countries from purchasing any land in the state. Nations on the “Restrictive Country” list in the bill are defined as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela.
An amendment I put on the bill, would provide statutory authority for the Missouri Attorney General to investigate acquisitions of agricultural land.
Property Tax Relief for Vehicle Owners (HB 713)
Missourians struggling with higher property tax rates for the past two years on their vehicles may have some relief under HB 713. This legislation is a fix to a real problem in our state. In 2021 and 2022 due to used car values going up, Missourians paid higher tax assessments and therefore paid higher taxes primarily due to the inflated cost of used vehicles.
HB 713 would change our assessor’s formula from using the National Automobile Dealers’ Association Official Used Car Guide and instead have assessors use the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for all vehicles for the original value. The bill establishes a 15-year depreciation schedule that would be applied to the MSRP to develop the annual and historical valuation guide for all motor vehicles. If your vehicle is 16 years or older you would not pay property tax. You would finally own your vehicle!
Prohibit Eviction Moratoriums (HB 730)
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the federal government instituting a moratorium on evictions. During the moratorium a landlord could not evict a tenant even for non-payment of rent. What this really amounted to was an arbitrary seizure of property because it appropriates private property for public use. We had a crisis, we had a pandemic, and then the powers from the Biden administration instituted a policy where your private property is basically taken over.
I learned this week that approximately half of all rental properties are owned by investors with 10 or fewer properties. We have had mom and pop investors out there not collecting rent for 4, 6, 8, 10 months. Generally speaking they have a mortgage, taxes and insurance due on that property, a lot of times that margin is razor thin and it is simply not a sustainable situation.
HB 730 would simply prohibit any county, municipality, or political subdivision from imposing or enforcing a moratorium on eviction proceedings unless specifically authorized by state law.