Governor Kehoe Signs Ten Bills into Law

Jefferson City - This afternoon, Governor Mike Kehoe signed ten pieces of legislation into law: Senate Bills (SB) 105, 133, 145, and 271, and House Bills (HB) 145, 147, 225, 262, 595, and 596.

"Our bill signings this afternoon marked the official conclusion of an incredibly successful legislative session," said Governor Kehoe. "We appreciate the members the General Assembly for sending several pieces of common-sense legislation to my desk that will positively impact Missouri families and communities."

SB 105, sponsored by Senator Mike Bernskoetter and Representative Bruce Sassmann, modifies provisions relating to invasive plants.

• Combats the proliferation of nonnative invasive plant species in Missouri.
• Prohibits nurseries and nursery dealers from knowingly and intentionally importing, exporting, buying, selling, transporting, distributing, or propagating certain nonnative invasive species in Missouri.
• Plants affected: Climbing Euonymus (Fortune’s spindle), Japanese Honeysuckle, Sericea Lespedeza, Perilla Mint, Burning Bush, and Callery Pear.  

SB 133, sponsored by Senator Travis Fitzwater and Representative Josh Hurlbert, modifies and creates new provisions relating to underground facilities.

• Makes critical updates to Missouri’s 811 system to evolve with technological advancements and the modern needs of both excavators and underground facility owners.
• Updates statute to align with Common Ground Alliance best practices.
• Requires underground facilities to be installed with detectible underground tracking systems.
• Reduces liability for excavators when proper standards were followed but they were given incorrect information.
• Increases 811 Board representation for contractors and underground facility owners.  

SB 145, sponsored by Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Representative David Casteel, modifies provisions relating to the taxation of certain businesses.

• Promotes youth entrepreneurship by exempting businessowners 18 years or younger from certain municipal corporation and charter city licensing fees and requirements.  

SB 271, sponsored by Senator Rusty Black and Representative Dane Diehl, modifies provisions relating to emergency services.

• Establishes that no fire protection or fire prevention ordinances shall impose regulations of farm buildings or farm structures.
• Updates emergency medical services standards to provide more training and require audits of ambulance districts.
• Expands the protection to any unpaid person who helps during an emergency under the Good Samaritan law. 

HB 145, sponsored by Representative Bill Falkner and Senator Mike Henderson, modifies provisions of the Judicial Privacy Act and the Missouri Sunshine Law.

• Expands privacy protections for court-related officers.
• Adds Sunshine Law exemptions to protect minors, park visitors, and endangered species locations.
• Updates rules for public record requests, including upfront fees.

HB 147, sponsored by Representative Barry Hovis and Senator Rusty Black,  modifies provisions relating to retirement.

• Creates new avenues for funding the Sheriffs’ Retirement System.
• Restricts Missouri Public Employee Retirement Systems from investing in entities that are sanctioned by the United States.
• Prohibits the investment fiduciary of a public employee retirement system from considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. 

HB 225, sponsored by Representative Jeff Myers and Senator Justin Brown, modifies provisions relating to public safety.

• Increases the compensation for a line of duty death from $25,000 to $100,000, extends the statute of limitations for when someone must file for the compensation from one year to two, and adds that families can be compensated if a first responder dies of an illness that was contracted in the line of duty. The death must occur within three hundred weeks of when the illness was contracted.
• Modifies requirements for police vehicles to no longer have to use their lights and sirens when the vehicle is being used to get evidence of a speeding violation, respond to a suspected crime in progress, or conduct surveillance of a vehicle.
• Establishes the offense of interference with a first responder making it a Class B Misdemeanor. 

HB 262, sponsored by Representative Chris Brown and Senator Rick Brattin, establishes the "Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Recovery Act."

• Creates provisions relating to alternative therapies for veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries, allowing for any facility that does hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for treatment of PTSD to receive reimbursement of that treatment at no charge to the veteran depending on the availability of funding.

HB 595, sponsored by Representative Chris Brown and Senator Nick Schroer, modifies provisions relating to real estate transactions.

• Protects private property rights.
• Prohibits local governments from limiting what factors landlords can or cannot consider in rental-related decisions, including source of income, credit scores, and rental and criminal history.
• Prevents enactment of security deposit ceilings.
• Requires real estate brokers and buyers/tenants to enter into an agreement prior to broker representation beginning.  

HB 596, sponsored by Representative Chris Brown and Senator Nick Schroer, modifies a provision relating to brokerage services by requiring brokers have a written agency agreement with buyers prior to engaging in real estate transactions.

For more information on the legislation and additional provisions signed into law, visit house.mo.gov and senate.mo.gov. Photos from the bill signing will be uploaded to Governor Kehoe's Flickr page.