A little over a week into the 2022 Missouri General Assembly and lawmakers are hard at work in Jefferson City trying to pass their sponsored legislation.
Among South County legislators, school policy, abortion, crime and elections have surfaced as lawmakers’ priorities.
The last day of the regular session is May 20.
School policy
Prefiled bills concerning school policy mostly focused on the treatment of individual students over whole school populations. Rep. David Gregory, R-Sunset Hills, filed a bill that would enact provisions promoting dignity and nondiscrimination in public schools and a second requiring each local school district and charter school to have a policy on file for reading success plans for certain students.
Jim Murphy, R-Oakville, filed a bill which requires public schools to teach students the responsible use of social media.
Charter schools are often a focus of legislation and this year is no different. State Sens. Doug Beck, D-Affton, and Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, prefiled three total bills regarding charter schools. The first, filed by Beck, would require nurses in school districts and charter schools to develop individualized healthcare plans for students with epilepsy or seizure disorders.
Nurses would develop the plan with parental aid and it would be shared with all school employees who interact with the student. The plan would feature a guide of what to do in case of a seizure or epileptic incident.
The bills filed by Koenig would modify and create provisions regarding the use of certain training, instructional, and curricular materials in public schools and charter schools and would modify the calculation of the amount a school district with one or more pupils attending a charter school shall pay to the charter school.
The first lays out a laundry list of requirements for school boards to adopt new curricula and requires all teaching materials to be located in an easy to use online database. The bill also requires history and American literature classes to “promote an overall positive and comprehensive history and understanding of the United States.”
Abortion
Two bills concerning abortion are being introduced by South County Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, and Gregory.
The two bills are similar in intent and effect. Gregory’s would prohibit any public financial benefits to abortion providers and their affiliates, and if benefits are received they would be subject to forfeit.
Coleman’s bill is similar to the one which recently has taken effect in Texas. It also would prohibit state funding for abortion clinics, while prohibiting most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. The bill includes provisions to prohibit dilation and evacuation, abortions and to protect children who survive a failed abortion attempt.
“The Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe V Wade and give States back their right to protect the unborn. With Pro-life majorities in the Missouri house and Senate in 2022, we must act now to ensure that Missouri is ready to protect women and the unborn,” Coleman stated in a press release.
Both bills allow for civil action to be taken against clinics or parties involved in providing abortions.
Daylight Saving
Rep. Michael O’Donnell, R-Oakville, is sponsoring a bill which could eliminate daylight saving time in Missouri. The bill, called the Daylight Saving As New Standard Time Pact, would enter the state into a pact with any other participating states to permanently move clocks ahead one hour at the next daylight saving.
Two neighboring states passed legislation entering into the pact last year.
Crime
Beck is introducing a bill modifying DNA profiling for people arrested for felonies.
Under current law, anyone 17 and older only needs to supply DNA samples when arrested for burglary, sex related felonies and certain felonies committed against another person. Beck’s bill would require anyone 17 or older to supply DNA samples when arrested for any felony.
Coleman is introducing a bill regarding homicides and the mental state of offenders. In current law, defense of a homicide can include finding that the person the offender intended to kill cannot be established.
Under the new bill, if the state can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the offender had the requisite mental state toward a person or class of persons, the offender’s mental state would be transferable to any victim.
Elections
A bill introduced by Koenig would allow voters to only vote in primaries for the party they are registered to. Current law entitles anyone to vote in any primary.
Voters would be required to choose an established political party or unaffiliated, which would come with voting restrictions highlighted on the ballot.
Coleman also introduced a bill which would change the process by which voting totals from precincts are published.