JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In a crucial development for housing policies in the Show-Me State, the Missouri General Assembly has successfully passed House Bill 2062 this week addressing several issues related to property rights, ranging from eviction moratoriums, electric vehicle charging stations, to shutdown orders, land banks, and other “fowl” affairs.
Sponsored by State Representative Chris Brown, the bill seeks to prohibit counties, municipalities, or political subdivisions from implementing eviction moratoriums unless explicitly allowed by state law.
The legislation aims to address concerns raised by supporters who argue that eviction moratoriums infringe on property rights and disrupt contracts between landlords and tenants, emphasizing that eviction is governed by state law.
“This issue stems from the federal moratorium imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused financial hardships for property owners. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s invalidation of the federal moratorium in 2021, local eviction moratoriums were implemented in St. Louis and St. Louis County, leaving property owners burdened with property costs and taxes without legal recourse to address delinquent tenants,” said Brown. “What we need is consistency to prevent unsustainable situations for landlords and to avoid a fragmented approach with municipalities issuing their own moratoriums. The goal of this legislation is not to force renters out but rather to establish a uniform rule applicable to all in the state.”
The bill also includes several other key components to support citizens’ property rights, such as:
The ‘Protecting Missouri’s Small Businesses Act’ supports businesses affected by emergency shutdowns by waiving fees, providing property tax relief, and mandating consideration of shutdown impacts on small businesses.
The Missouri Historic, Rural Revitalization, and Regulatory Streamlining Act seeks to streamline historic property revitalization by enhancing tax credit accessibility and efficiency.
The Land Bank Act establishes nonprofit land banks to combat blight and revitalize properties.
The bill also addresses trespassing and unlawful occupancy, and enhances property owner rights, and sets guidelines for poultry ownership on residential properties.
Additionally, it shifts responsibility for electric vehicle charging stations’ costs from business owners to local municipalities.
“This legislation reflects our commitment to defend the rights of our citizens and their property, and to push back against the federal overreach,” House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, said. “This legislation supports Missourians’ constitutional rights to petition the government and ensures that our communities will be subject to the laws of Missouri, and not the whims of a federal bureaucrat.”
The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Mike Parson, where it will await his signature into law.