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Senate reads dozens of bills into the record; many assigned to committees
Summary
On the first day of the 2025 regular session the Missouri Senate read a long series of bills into the journal and recorded committee referrals. Sponsors introduced a set of bills (705–717 and many more); the secretary read forward a broad list of bills that were sent to committees across the chamber.
JEFFERSON CITY — The Senate clerk read a lengthy list of introduced bills on Thursday, and the chamber recorded committee referrals for dozens of measures spanning education, public safety, taxation, health care and energy.
Early introductions recorded on the floor included Senate Bill 705 (offered by the senator from Lewis), described in the reading as “an act relating to retired substitute teachers with an emergency clause.” Other bills read aloud shortly afterward included Senate Bill 706 (offered by the senator from Hudson, described as an act relating to disclosures of allegations of misconduct), Senate Bill 707 (Hudson, pesticides), Senate Bill 708 (Black, retired substitute teachers with an emergency clause), Senate Bill 709 (Black, limitations on cost-of-living increases for retirement allowances for certain public school employees), Senate Bill 710 (Nuremberg, sports complex authorities), and additional introductions through the mid-700s that were described by the secretary of the senate.
The clerk also read and referred a large, later list of bills (numbers in the 300–400 range and above) to standing committees. Those referrals covered a wide range of topics — examples listed by the secretary include bills on public defender caseloads, juvenile court restraint use, college tuition for dependents of veterans, delinquencies in property tax, vehicle registration, health care coverage items, and numerous other measures. Each bill read into the record was assigned to a committee for subsequent review and (where applicable) fiscal analysis.
What was (and was not) specified
- Some bills were read with brief one-line descriptions on the floor (for example, SB705: retired substitute teachers; SB706: disclosures of allegations of misconduct; SB707: pesticides). These short descriptions come from sponsors’ introductory statements and the secretary’s reading. - Many other items were read only by bill number and generic title, and the transcript shows the secretary referring each to a committee without detailed floor debate; the transcript did not include committee reports, text details, fiscal notes or full bill texts for the items introduced on the floor that day.
Why it matters
Reading bills into the journal and recording committee referrals begins each measure’s formal legislative process. Bills assigned to committees will be scheduled for hearings, where the public, experts and stakeholders may testify; committee action will determine whether measures advance to the floor for debate and vote.
Notable early sponsors listed on the floor (selection)
- Senator from Lewis (SB705) - Senator from Hudson (SB706, SB707) - Senator from Black (SB708, SB709) - Senator from Nuremberg (SB710) - Senator from Gregory (SB713–715 series) - Senator from Fitzwater (SB716)
Record of referrals
The secretary read a multi-page list of bill referrals to specific committees (e.g., education, judiciary, commerce/energy, local government/elections and pensions, families/seniors/health, insurance and banking). The transcript records the committee assigned to each bill number read on the floor; those referrals are the formal record used by staff to schedule committee hearings.
Follow-up
Interested citizens should track the assigned committees for bills of interest; committee dockets will be posted by the Senate and individual committee chairs for hearing dates and witness registration details.
