Legislation Advances
The Senate was closed in observance of Presidents’ Day on Feb. 16, making for a short but busy week in Jefferson City. Debates in both chambers are now in full swing as legislation passes in one and is taken up by the other.
I returned to my county commissioner service roots on Feb. 18 when I presented Senate Bill 1084 to the Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee. During my time spent in Scott County, I learned first-hand how beneficial and vital these planning commissions are to making improvement projects come to fruition. To sustain these services and reinforce their value to local communities, SB 1084 raises the maximum amount of state funds for two regional councils from $65,000 to $130,000, and funds for the other regional planning commissions from $25,000 to $50,000. My legislation will also remove several obsolete bodies and adjust the maximum grant amount, tying it to the consumer price index going forward.
The same day, I presented Senate Bill 1588 to the Senate General Laws Committee. This legislation requires a recorder of deeds to display a notice in their office or online relating to the offense of filing false documents and increases the penalty of this offense to a class C felony, up from a class D. The bill also addresses the manufacturing of false notary seals and changes the crime classifications on fraudulent notary cases. If you are interested in learning more about the bills I have presented in committees, you may find my presentations on my Senate website under “Current Media.”
Several of my bills have inched toward the Senate perfection calendar. Senate Bill 1083, which streamlines the requirements for those applying for a respiratory care license, was passed on Feb. 17 by the Emerging Issues and Professional Registration Committee. With the goal of getting professionals into the workforce, I believe these slight changes will make a Missouri license more easily accessible and available to qualified professionals with equal credentials from other states. The other, Senate Bill 1408, will raise the speed limit to 75 on rural interstates.
Bill Filing Deadline Approaches
The deadline to file bills for the 2026 legislative session is Feb. 26. This week, I added four bills to my list. Senate Bill 1673 establishes an Interstate Massage Compact for qualified
professionals and a mechanism to provide oversight to this select group of massage therapists. Senate Bill 1674 requires the governor to assign a nonvoting student representative to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Senate Bill 1676 was also first read this week. Named “Mason’s Law” for a nonverbal child who struggled to communicate with peace officers, the legislation permits residents with a health condition or disability that limits the ability to communicate with law enforcement to apply for a designated number sequence on their license plates to alert law enforcement. The final bill I introduced relates to licensure reciprocity, Senate Bill 1691.
The last time I looked, over 850 bills had been filed in the Missouri Senate and an additional 1,737 will start the process in the Missouri House of Representatives. The next two and half months are going to fly by as we consider and deliberate these wide-ranging proposals.
Welcoming Guests from the 27th
As always, the highlight of my week is visiting with folks from back home. Thanks for taking the time to share your legislative goals. On Feb. 17, I was honored to introduce Essex to my colleagues in the chamber. He is the chief operating officer at the Gibson Center for Behavior Health.
Senator Jamie Burger
Essex, chief operating officer at the Gibson Center for Behavior Health
Missouri County Collectors Association
Missouri Corn Growers Association