Committee advances amended House Bill 495 after public hearing, adopts 17-part amendment

The Committee on Legislative Review held a public hearing and executive session on an amendment to House Bill 495 and voted to adopt House committee substitute number 2, moving the bill out of committee by a 7-3 margin.

The amendment, presented by Representative Brad Chris, District 96, adds 17 separate provisions into the bill, including changes to the quo warranto removal process, restoration of an ankle-monitoring requirement removed by a sunset clause, a breathalyzer (ignition-interlock) provision for drivers who register 0.15 blood-alcohol concentration, expanded organized retail theft penalties, requirements that law-enforcement agencies submit information on offenders' immigration status to the state, a prohibition on government-run safe injection sites, changes to criminal-forfeiture language tied to stunt driving and street takeovers, an expanded definition of dangerous felonies, penalties for unlawful roadway interference, reforms to juvenile point-system detention thresholds, and language altering the makeup and transitional governance of a St. Louis police oversight board.

Representative Brad Chris, District 96, outlined the amendment as a package that was developed in negotiations with the governor's office and the attorney general and that was previously considered in the Committee on Crime and Public Safety. He said the amendment incorporates items from a Senate bill, items requested by the governor and attorney general, and cleanup language for state-board provisions. "I support the First Amendment and the right to protest," Chris said when asked about provisions that upgrade penalties for unlawful roadway interference; he added that law enforcement sought stiffer penalties because of recent street takeovers and related…