Missouri senators say House Bill 495 will serve as this year’s public-safety vehicle

Missouri senators described a late compromise that placed House Bill 495, which replaces bills 52 and 44, as the primary public-safety measure for the session. Senator Nick Schor of Defiance said he is handling House Bill 495 in the Senate and described the decision to take up the House bill instead of a Senate bill as reflecting extensive work by lawmakers.

The change matters because the House bill consolidates multiple proposals into one package the upper chamber can consider. Both Missouri senators from Saint Louis initially opposed the proposal, but Senator Steven Roberts of Saint Louis said he and Senator May negotiated improvements that he said strengthen public safety for the city.

Senator Roberts told the chamber that the final compromise reflected negotiations with members from both chambers. The bill, as described by senators, replaces Senate bills 52 and 44 as this year’s vehicle for public-safety legislation. The measure was reported to be awaiting a vote by the Missouri Senate Fiscal Oversight Committee; if that committee approves it, the committee would return the measure to the floor of the Missouri Senate for a full Senate vote and, depending on the outcome, potentially send it back to the Missouri House of Representatives for further consideration.

The discussion recorded in the meeting did not include a committee vote or a final Senate floor vote. No amendments, exact vote tallies, or specific statutory language from the bill were provided in the portion of the record covered here. Reporting from the state capital, Dean Morgan.