Committee hears broad criminal justice bill expanding SNAP access, banning most third‑trimester shackling and raising age for vulnerable witnesses

Representative Chad Perkins, sponsor of House Bill 916, told the House Committee on Corrections and Public Institutions that the measure combines several changes: restoring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility for some people with drug‑related felony convictions, prohibiting most shackling of women in the third trimester of pregnancy in county jails (a policy already adopted by the Department of Corrections for state prisons), and raising the age at which a crime victim is treated as a "vulnerable person" for testimony from 14 to 18.

"It expands SNAP eligibility," Representative Chad Perkins told the committee as he described the bill's provisions. Perkins said he and others consider it inconsistent that people convicted of violent crimes may receive SNAP benefits on release while those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses are barred for life. He also described the anti‑shackling language as an extension of Department of Corrections policy to county jails and said he had consulted with sheriffs about acceptable language.

Supporters from a range of groups spoke in favor. Samuel Lee of Campaign Life Missouri applauded the anti‑shackling provisions as bipartisan follow‑up work tied to a recent prison nursery opening. Keith Denhollander, national field director for the Christian Coalition, supported both the SNAP changes and the shackling ban, arguing for second chances and human dignity. Patrick Plaine of the Nolan Center for Justice at the American Conservative Union framed the SNAP change as a public‑safety measure that reduces recidivism by removing barriers to reintegration.

Kim Buckman, director of advocacy and communications at Feeding Missouri, told the committee the SNAP lifetime ban deepens poverty and harms households: "Hunger is a growing issue in Missouri with 15% of residents being food insecure, including nearly 250,000 children," she said, and added that the SNAP restrictions can affect families decades after a conviction.

Jeff Smith of Missouri Appleseed and other witnesses urged the committee to adopt the provisions; Smith noted the Department of Corrections had already enacted an anti‑shackling policy for state prisons and contrasted the bill's third‑trimester ban with the federal First Step Act, which he said provides a broader federal ban for some prisoners. Ward Cook of the Missouri Prosecutors Association testified in support of raising the vulnerable‑witness age to 18, saying the change has received bipartisan backing in prior sessions.

No witnesses testified in opposition during the hearing. Committee members asked procedural questions about potential amendments, language from sheriffs, and whether funding or training needs associated with implementation would be added; witnesses and the sponsor said the bill currently includes no additional funding and that language was being negotiated with sheriffs and stakeholders. Representative Perkins said he expected to receive proposed amendment language from sheriffs and to circulate it ahead of a possible committee substitute.

The committee concluded the hearing without recording a vote. The First Step Act and earlier state legislative efforts were discussed in testimony as context for the anti‑shackling provisions, and witnesses cited studies and experience linking access to food assistance with lower recidivism; none of the studies or fiscal notes were entered into the hearing record during this session.