The Missouri Senate spent the week deliberating on appropriations bills that will form the state's operating budget for the coming fiscal year. The chamber passed a $52.7 billion spending blueprint after rounds of negotiation and amendment. Because the Senate version differs from legislation the House approved in March, the measure now returns to the lower chamber for consideration. If the chambers cannot reach agreement, conference committees will convene to reconcile the differences and produce a final version for legislative approval. The budget is due to the governor on May 8.
Alongside budget proceedings, the Senate advanced several healthcare and public safety measures. House Bill 2974, a combined measure to streamline services and expand access to care, moved forward after Senate debate. The revised bill incorporates language permitting licensed telehealth providers to practice across state lines and includes a provision to maximize grant funding from the Rural Health Transformation Act. The amended version now returns to the House.
The Senate held hearings on multiple House-passed bills during the week. House Bill 2103, heard by the Insurance and Banking Committee on April 21, targets residential property fraud. The measure requires county recorders to post signs warning about fraud, raises penalties for crimes involving notaries, and mandates that fraudulent residential property cases be brought before a judge within 20 days.
House Bill 2167 received a hearing before the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. The measure would authorize the attorney general to appoint noncommissioned investigators with authority to arrest individuals, maintain order, preserve peace, and assist law enforcement agencies with matters referred by the attorney general.
The Senate also prepared to take up House Bill 2848, which establishes an offense of masked intimidation. The legislation includes exceptions for law enforcement and face coverings worn for religious, weather, safety, or job-related reasons. Under the bill, if a person commits masked intimidation and the state determines the act was knowingly motivated by a victim's race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or disability, the person would be guilty of a hate crime and a class E felony.
The Missouri Bar Association is conducting a survey to assess legal service needs in rural areas of the state. Interested participants can complete the questionnaire through an online form.
