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Panel hears bill to expand Medal of Honor signage; MoDOT confirms fund and cost estimates
Summary
Representative Griffith presented House Bill 81 to authorize roadside signs recognizing Missouri Medal of Honor recipients and to allow an optional license-plate or checkoff contribution; MoDOT testified about an existing fund balance and estimated sign costs, and lawmakers discussed adding QR codes to tell each recipient's story.
Representative Griffith introduced House Bill 81 to create a process for placing roadside signs recognizing Medal of Honor recipients in Missouri. Griffith said the signs would recognize local recipients and provide a way for communities to honor their service; he described bringing a recipient to the chamber when the bill reaches the floor. "The medal of honor is the highest award that is given to someone in the military," Griffith said when explaining the bill's purpose.
Members and witnesses discussed funding and implementation. Patrick Flesch of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) told the committee that the Missouri Medal of Honor recipients fund held roughly $360,000 (transcript references around $350,000-$400,000 in the account) and that the agency typically estimates about $4,000 per sign for materials and installation. MoDOT said it had previously used the fund for roadway designations and that the fund can be spent for the kind of signage envisioned by the bill; staff agreed to provide a year-by-year accounting of receipts and disbursements and a materials-vs-labor breakdown for the $4,000 per-sign estimate.
Lawmakers suggested ways to increase the signs' public value. Representative Tim Clark and others proposed adding QR codes so a driver who stops or a passerby could scan the code to read a short biography or hear an audio account of the honoree's actions; Griffith said he was open to exploring a QR-code solution with MoDOT. Members also asked MoDOT to confirm how the agency calculates the sign cost (materials and labor) and whether the fund has been used previously to install signs. MoDOT confirmed there had been prior disbursements for designation signs and offered to supply details.
The hearing closed without formal opposition testimony and with committee members thanking the sponsor. MoDOT agreed to follow up with requested financial and program details to the committee for its consideration as the bill moves forward.
