This was a week of real movement in Jefferson City.

We held hearings on several important bills, a committee vote moving one of my veterans' bills forward, final votes on the Senate floor, and more work to protect Missouri families, property rights and the rule of law.  Step by step, these are the kinds of weeks that matter because this is how legislation moves from an idea to something that can make a real difference in people's lives.

A big part of this week was continuing to advance legislation that addresses practical problems for Missouri families and communities.

On Monday, a House committee held a hearing on SB 1351, my bill dealing with the Independence School District board terms and other urban districts. This bill would shorten school board terms from 6 years to 3 years in Independence. It would also allow one excused school absence for a student to attend a scheduled election with a parent or guardian. That is a simple hange, but it helps strengthen accountability and encourages civic involvement at the local level.

On Tuesday, SB 920 received a hearing in the Senate Emerging Issues and Professional Registration Committee. In a nutshell, this bill is aimed at stopping large corporate and hedge-fund-style ownership from swallowing up more of Missouri's housing market. This bill would bar certain business and investment entities that already own more than 50 single family homes or more than 100 residential unites in Missouri from buying additional residential property here. It also gives the Attorney General enforcement authority and allows courts to order unlawfully acquired residential property sold. this matters because Missouri families should not have to compete with massive entities that can distort the housing market and make homeownership harder to reach.

Also on Tuesday, SB 1619 was voted Do Pass in the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. This bill would expand certain leave-of-absense protections to volunteer firefighters who also serve, and it would update military leave provisions from 120 hours in a fiscal year to 38 working days. Our service members and volunteer firefighters carry real burdens for our communities, and our laws should reflect that. I was glad to see this bill move forward.

On Wednesday, I presented SB 1476 in the Senate Judiciary & Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. This bill establishes provisions relating to adult cabaret performances and creates penalties when those performances take place on public property or where they can be viewed by minors. The first offense would be a Class A misdemeanor, with subsequent offenses treated as a Class E felony. Parents have a right to expect that children will not be exposed to sexually explicit performances in public settings.

We also saw progress this week on legislation dealing with abusive ADA website litigation. The Senate perfected the combined bill package that includes SB 1154, legislated designed to address abusive disability-access website lawsuits by giving businesses notice and a chance to correct problems before litigation moves forward. That is the kind of fair-process reform that protects legitimate claims while discouraging "sue and settle" tactics.

As the week continued, more important issues were lined up on the calendar for action on the Senate floor.

The perfection calendar now includes SBs 977 & 1011, the "No Shari'a Law." This bill would prohibit the application and enforceability of foreign law like Sharia, legal codes and systems in Missouri courts.

My SB 1012 dealing with artificial intelligence and SB 919 relating to property taxes are on the calendar for debate as well as SB 1534 is ready for a final vote. 

Sometimes, it's just as important to be the one at the goal blocking the advances of your opponents.  We already have inalienable rights. We usually don't need more legislation to protect them but often we find that they need to be defended from attacks. That is just as important in my work here as seeing bills passed.

In Missouri, the office of sheriff is outlined in our statutes but not protected in our state constitution.  Senator Carter filed a bill that would add protective language in our constitution that would ensure that each Missouri county has a sheriff who is elected by the people. 

This week, one KC Senator tried to add an amendment that would exempt Jackson County. I was successful in killing the amendment and protecting Jackson County.

I believe elected sheriffs are important and need to be protected and I did not want to see Jackson County excluded again from good policy. I'm happy that I was able to kill that amendment and keep our sheriff in Jackson County protected.  

The bill is a joint resolution which means it will need a passing vote of the people at the ballot box in order to amend the Missouri Constitution.  

In addition to bill hearings, committees continued hearing legislation on major issues affecting Missouri families.

On Wednesday, the Families Committee heard legislation to repeal the sunset on The SAFE Act and also heard another Born Alive bill.  These are serious issues and they deserve careful consideration.

We also had final votes on several bills this week. 

One of the best parts of serving in the Senate is welcoming people from our district and hearing directly from them.

This week, I was glad to introduce guests from the Oak Grove School District on the Senate floor. We also enjoyed having guests from Freedom of the Road Riders visit the office.

Thursday I had the opportunity to speak to the Missouri Federation of Republican Women and meet some of the Breckenridge Scholars. I also enjoyed visiting with some of the federated women in our office. Those conversations matter. They help keep the work at the Capitol grounded in the real concerns and priorities of the people we serve.

This week was busy and productive.

This is how we protect homeowners, support veterans, strengthen families, improve local accountability, and keep moving good ideas through the legislative process.  Hearings, committee votes, debates on the floor - every step matters and every step takes work.

I remain hopeful and committed to keeping that work moving forward for the people of our district and for Missouri.

Thank you for taking the time to follow what is happening at the Capitol.

You can always review my votes by clicking "My Votes" in the menu at the top. And if our office can ever help you, please reach out. We are here to serve you.

Presenting SB 1476 to the Judiciary Committee 

Advocates for adult education

Educators from Oak Grove School District

Freedom of the Road Riders

Missouri Federation of Republican Women

Charlotte Mattson, Breckenridge Scholar

This week at the Capitol was the last before Spring Break. It brought lots of movement for several issues. There is still lots of work to be done across the board, of course, but we made good progress this week.

One of the practical problems food trucks in Jackson County are dealing with is the requirement to be licensed by the Jackson County Health Department as well as each municipality where they want to do business. This means multiple licenses which require basically the same thing. It's redundant, not necessary and it creates hinderances for these small businesses to grow. 

I filed a bill, SB 1255, that was heard in committee this week that would allow food trucks to be able to do business in all municipalities across Jackson County if they have one permit from the Jackson County Health Department.

I was grateful to have support in the committee from local people in the district who have first hand experience and understand this issue. Danielle DuPree from Ennovation Center came to testify along with Joohae "Chewy" Yoon from Go Chew. It makes a difference when citizens come to the Capitol and speak directly about how a policy affects their businesses and families. Their testimonies put a local face on the need for this bill.

Joohae Yoon & Danielle DuPree

We also saw some progress this week on property taxes. The Select Property Tax Committee passed my bill, SB 919, along with one other property tax bill and one joint resolution pertaining to property taxes. SB 919 is still a work in progress and there will be more changes, but this is an important step. I'm hopeful we can keep it moving as the conversations continue. Your home should not become unaffordable because the government keeps asking for more.

Property rights are key to liberty. People who work hard to purchase a home should be able to stay in them, build equity and generational wealth while not being priced out of them by tax burdens they can't control. 

On Wednesday, SJR 97 was heard in committee. This proposed constitutional amendment would submit term limits for Missouri legislators to Missouri voters. SJR 97, if passed, would allow the current term limits to be adjusted slightly although keeping the total time served to 16 years. Currently, the term limits for legislators are set at 8 years in the House of Representatives and 8 years in the Senate.  

My resolution would remove the individual limits for each chamber.  Total years of service could be done in any amount in either chamber - up to 16 years. 

This matters because good policy takes time.  

It takes time to learn procedure.  

It takes time to understand complex issues well.

It takes time to build relationships that are needed to pass good legislation & kill bad bills.

When members are forced out too quickly, the people's branch loses valuable knowledge and experience. When that happens, influence shifts from the elected officials toward staff, lobbyists and bureaucratic systems that are not accountable to voters. Institutional knowledge and legislative history is lost to the ones elected to serve but the lobbyists and bureaucrats grow in their knowledge & experience - becoming the experts in every room.  

The people don't want the special interests and lobbyists controlling the system, but term limits have put legislators in a position where the lobbyists are relied upon for their expertise. We can't have it both ways.  Term limits need to be adjusted. My bill isn't a complete fix for the problem, but it's a step in the right direction.

On Friday, I met with officials from the City of Independence and Nebius to discuss the proposed AI factory and data center development. Nebius, a technology company headquartered in Amsterdam, is building a data center in eastern Independence.

During the meeting, I made it clear I was disappointed that I had not been included in the initial conversations or negotiations on a project of this size and importance. Developments that could significantly affect our community should be handled with transparency and the appropriate elected officials at the table. 

I requested all related documents, agreements, contracts, and other key information such as projected water usage, electricity demand, tax abatements, PILOT agreements and any other pertinent details. I received some of those materials before the close of business that same day.

I will now be reviewing the documents carefully and continue conversations to better understand the full scope of this agreement and how it may affect the people of our district. The citizens I represent deserve clear answers, transparency, and accountability on decisions with this kind of long-term impact.

As always, I want to keep you informed about what's happening and why it matters. You can see my votes any time by clicking "My Votes" in the top menu. If you need help with a state issue, please don't hesitate to reach out to my office. We're here to serve you and we want to help.

Advocates from our district for American Cancer Society

Presenting a resolution to a constituent, Sienna Ficken, who is 

a college student and was in the Capitol presenting 

her research on muscular dystrophy.

Opening prayer in the chamber

Early morning arrival at the Capitol

This week was full of both opportunities and obstacles that come with doing the people's work in Jefferson City. We moved several bills forward, spent long hours on the Senate floor, and kept pressing ahead even when debate lasted through the night.  

This week mattered because good legislation kept moving and that means we are closer to seeing tangible results for Missouri families.

The biggest story this week was legislative progress.

Before session began, The Department of Corrections reached out to ask if I'd be interested in helping them make the criminal sentencing process more transparent and easy to understand. If you know me - you know that I am 100% supportive of transparency and I believe we need more of it so I was happy to come alongside DOC to work on the issue.  This particular bill and the way it moved forward is a great example of how policy is developed and how the legislative process isn't always a cookie cutter process.  

I pre-filed the bill along with Senator Carter.  Senator Trent filed a slightly different version of the bill as well.  All three were heard in the Judiciary Committee at the same time a couple weeks ago.  This week, those three bills were rolled together into one because they were addressing the exact same issue and nearly identical. The bill was given to Senator Trent to carry and it was voted Do Pass in Judiciary early in the week.

Late Wednesday night, as part of the negotiations on SB 888 the court reform bill (SB 882/894/1294) was added to it.  Somewhere around 4:00 am Thursday morning it was perfected and then it was voted out of the Senate just before we adjourned for the week.

Understanding this part of the process matters.  Progress is not always neat or quick. It doesn't always happen smoothly and often times many things are uncovered and learned during the process.  It takes patience, steady work and a willingness to stay at the table until a path forward is found. This is a good reminder of that.

I'm thankful to Senator Schroer for incorporating the additional court reform legislation into his bill.  It's a positive change in a difficult system.

On Monday I perfected a bill that changes the Independence School Board terms from 6 years to 3 years. I filed this bill because Independence is the only district in the state with 6 year terms.  It's hard to find volunteers to commit to such a long term and the board can be more responsive to community needs with shorter terms, as well.  I was happy to work with Senator Barbara Washington and add an amendment that would allow students in urban schools to have an excused absence for going to the polls with their parents once during each scheduled election. I believe it's important for our kids to understand the voting process. Senator Washington's idea was a great one and I'd love to see it spread to the rest of the schools across Missouri.

The Transportation Committee heard SB 1477 this week, which would allow motorcyclists to use any color auxiliary lighting they choose. This is one example of working through practical issues in the law that aren't necessarily exciting or headline causing news, but instead are practical changes that affect everyday life.  The reality is that a variety of colors are already being used and the statutes need to be updated to reflect current practice.

This bill addresses a loophole that was created by the court reform that happened in 2015. Currently, people who have minor traffic violations have no real consequences for missing court or not paying their fines. This has led to fewer tickets being written and more accidents happening.  It has been a serious concern for the City of Independence as well as other municipalities across the state.

SB 1087 addresses that issue by suspending the license of the driver after they miss 2 court dates and have an additional 33 days to pay the fine.  It also adds church and essential businesses to the list of places people can go if they are driving with a hardship license.

In addition to the bill work, I also had the honor of speaking to a group of students from TeenPact.  TeenPact is an organization that helps educate high school students about government and the legislative process.

They always have a great group of young people. They were articulate, engaged, thoughtful and a joy to be with.  It's always encouraging to spend time with students who are interested in how government works and want to understand the responsibilities of being a good citizen.

Moments like that matter, too.  Good government depends on an informed public, and it's a blessing to see young Missourians stepping up and learning how to lead.

  

This week we made a lot of progress.  Bills moved, important conversations took place, and even after a long night on the Senate floor the work kept going.  We have one more week until spring break and then you can expect the pace to pick up even more. 

As always, you can review my votes by clicking "My Votes" in the menu at the top of the page.

If you need help with a state issue, please reach out to our office. My office is here to serve you and we want to be a helpful resource.

It was a busy, short week in Jefferson City thanks to President's Day. Even with fewer days on the calendar, committees kept moving - and we used the time to push forward several of the bills I'm carrying this session.

Please watch the video to get the details. You'll find more information along with links to the bill pages, videos of my committee presentations and more below.

This week, we focused on three committee presentations - each dealing with an issue I keep hearing about from people back home: 

SB 919 is my top priority. It’s a property tax reform package aimed at giving Missouri families real relief and more predictability. If you’ve been hit with a sudden spike in your tax bill, you know why this matters.  

SB 1294 is a public safety and sentencing reform bill. A big part of this effort is simplifying and standardizing parts of the sentencing process—while also tightening penalties for offenses related to sex crimes and trafficking. 

SB 1086 would allow ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine tablets suitable for human use to be sold over the counter in Missouri—without a prescription or consultation requirement.

A few other bills advanced forward this week. 

SB 1012 is about drawing a bright line in the law: AI is a tool—not a person—and humans must remain responsible for harm caused by AI systems. It also addresses elections and deepfakes, including disclosure requirements for certain political ads that use AI-generated content.

We also held a press conference on this issue, which you can see below.

SB 1085 moved out of committee this week. This bill requires transparency with parents from schools regarding social transitioning and prohibits school employees from participating in the social transitions of students.

SB 1351 continues moving through the process. It would change Independence School District school board terms from six years to three years.

The Senate chamber floor continues to move slow and steady—which I appreciate. The Senate is meant to be deliberate. A slower pace allows legislation to be thoroughly vetted and debated, and it gives Missourians more time to weigh in.

Photos From Week 7

A Jackson County resident came to testify in favor of SB 919