House committee hears bill to repeal Missouri 'pay‑to‑stay' law (HB 723)

Vice Chair Tara Peters presented House Bill 723, which would repeal the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act (MIRA), a statute commonly described as a "pay‑to‑stay" law that allows the state to seek recovery of incarceration costs and, in some cases, seize assets that accrue to an incarcerated person while they are in custody.

"How many times do we have the opportunity to actually shrink our government?" Peters said when she introduced the bill, describing MIRA as a statutory process originating in the 1980s that allows the state to seek up to 10% of the cost of housing an offender for up to two years and to seize as much as 90% of an offender's assets to secure that reimbursement. Peters said the measure would remove the state's ability to seize those assets.

Proponents at the hearing said repeal would support reentry and reduce recidivism by allowing people leaving incarceration to retain…