Despite an unproductive and tense session in Jefferson City this year, some bills still made it to Gov. Mike Parson's desk and gained his signature.
New Missouri laws go into effect Wednesday. Here's what's changing:
The right to raise chickens
Through a larger bill focused on real property, Parson greenlit a restriction that keeps home owner's associations from prohibiting residents from raising backyard chickens. Under the law, property owners, even those under HOAs, can own up to six chickens on properties at least two-tenths of an acre in size. HOAs can still regulate the ownership of roosters.
Other property rights laws
- The same legislation gives counties and municipalities the power to establish a land bank to return vacant, abandoned or foreclosed on properties to private ownership or for public use;
- It also provides an avenue for property owners to remove squatters from their property via a court petition and makes unlawfully occupying a residential dwelling a class A misdemeanor;
- Cities and counties can not require churches and nonprofits to install or provide infrastructure for future installment of electric vehicle charging stations;
- Cities can't require owners to conduct inspections before the sale of residential property. This does not apply to new construction or requirements under occupancy permits.
No more eviction moratoriums
State law will now prohibit any municipality, county or other political subdivision from imposing an eviction moratorium unless it is specifically authorized by the state.
Senior tax credits
After counties expressed confusion and lack of clarity regarding the initial legislation that provided a "freeze" on real property taxes for seniors, this new law hashes out some of the details. It clarifies that seniors 62 years and older are eligible for the tax freeze. Previously, eligibility was based on Social Security benefits eligibility.
More:Greene County Commission adjusts, expands senior tax credit process
Funding Planned Parenthood
Medicaid funds are explicitly prohibited from going to abortion providers or affiliates, which by extension includes Planned Parenthood, in House Bill 2634, even though abortion has been illegal in Missouri since 2022.
The state’s Medicaid program serves low-income and disabled Missourians. While it has banned funding for abortions, previously Medicaid had reimbursed Planned Parenthood for reproductive health services, like STI and cancer screenings, and contraceptives. Planned Parenthood has challenged the law via complaint to the state's Administrative Hearing Commission.
More:Gov. Mike Parson signs bill denying Medicaid funds from abortion providers or affiliates
Education laws
Parson signed an omnibus education bill this year, despite strong opposition from Missouri school officials, as previously reported by the News-Leader. Here's what Senate Bill 727 and House Bill 2287 do:
- Raise the minimum teacher pay to $40,000 a year and increase the minimum for a teacher with a master's degree and 10 or more years experience to $48,000 by 2027;
- Regularly increase all teacher salaries by the January Consumer Price Index report, with a cap of 3% annually;
- Expand access for Missouri's Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, which is a voucher tax credit program;
- Permit charter schools to open in Boone County;
- Provide incentives for districts in cities with 30,000 or more residents to operate on a five-day school week;
- Increase state funding for early childhood education;
- Protect benefits for educators who keep teaching after retirement;
- Increase the small school grant funding program.
More:Gov. Parson signs omnibus education bill despite pleas from hundreds of MO school leaders
Prosecuting children as adults
A part of a new public safety bill raised the minimum age that children who have committed certain felonies could be tried as adults from twelve to fourteen years of age. It also establishes that correctional treatment programs for offenders under 18 years old shall include educational programs that award a high school diploma or an equivalent.
Other public safety changes
- An arrest warrant will not be issued for a person's "failure to respond, pay the fine assessed, or appear in court with respect to a traffic citation." Instead, the court will schedule a second court date and if the person fails to appear again, a default judgement may be entered;
- Creates Blair's Law, which prohibits recklessly discharging a firearm within city limits;
- Creates Valentine's Law, which criminalizes fleeing from a motor vehicle stop or detention by law enforcement and makes it at minimum a class D felony;
- Creates Max's Law, which increases penalties for injuring or killing a law enforcement animal.
Expanding the role of the state auditor
Through House Bill 2111, the role of the state auditor will be expanded to give them more authority to investigate governmental bodies that it previously did not have the authority to investigate. The new law gives the auditor the power to audit any political subdivision or government entity.
It also provides for the auditor to initiate the audit if an investigation discovers improper governmental activity has occurred and allows the cost of audits initiated by the auditor to be covered by the state. Previously, the auditor could only audit entities upon an invitation from the government body to be audited or via citizen petition, and the entity being audited would be responsible for covering the costs.
More:Bill expanding the powers of the state auditor sent to governor for final approval
Meatpacking sludge regulations
This new law requires facilities to obtain water pollution permits, follow setbacks for sludge storage lagoons near homes and perform groundwater monitoring in certain areas. The legislation also establishes a Nutrient Management Technical Standard.
More:Missouri Senate passes bill protecting rural neighbors from meatpacking sludge
Boosting entrepreneurship
A new Office of Entrepreneurship will be created to promote initiatives to grow new businesses in the state. The same law creates a "regulatory sandbox program," which suspends some state requirements and regulations so individuals can gain monitored access to the market to demonstrate an innovative product or service.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
