HB 3228 provides legal protection for teachers who intervene in school violence to protect themselves or students. It shields teachers and their school districts from lawsuits if they follow school procedures or act in good faith with a reasonable belief the intervention was justified. The bill explicitly excludes protection for cases involving willful misconduct or gross negligence. It also prohibits schools from creating policies that prevent teachers from intervening in such incidents. This bill directly affects educators and school districts by changing liability rules for on-the-ground safety responses.
SB 1509 - This act establishes the "Office of State Ombudsman for Inmates in the Custody of the Department of Corrections" ("Office") within the Department of Corrections ("Department") for the purpose of ensuring the adequacy of care and improving the quality of life of inmates. The Office shall establish and implement procedures for receiving, processing, responding to, and resolving complaints made by or on behalf of inmates in the custody of the Department as well as establish procedures for the resolution of complaints. The Office shall be directed by an Ombudsman, who shall be appointed by the Governor and serve a 6-year term. The Ombudsman shall not be a current or former Department employee or have a spouse, child, or parent as a current or former Department employee. This act provides that the Office shall have the authority to: • Provide information to inmates, family members and representative of inmates, and others regarding the rights of inmates; • Monitor conditions of confinement and assess whether the Department is in compliance with federal, state, and Department regulations; • Establish a state-wide reporting system to collect data related to complaints received by the Department; and • Monitor all decisions of the parole board. The Office shall have reasonable access to all Department facilities, including all areas which are accessible to inmates, and access to programs for inmates at reasonable times. The Office shall have the authority to interview any inmates, Department employees or contractors, or any other person. The Office shall have the authority to copy documents in the possession or control of the Department that the Office considers necessary in an investigation of a complaint and the Department shall provide such documents no later than 30 days after the Office's written request. If the records relate to an inmate death, threat of death, sexual assault, or the denial of necessary medical treatment, the records shall be provided within 5 days, unless a waiver is provided by the Office to the Department. The Office shall establish confidentiality rules and procedures for all information maintained by the Office to ensure that the identity of a complainant is not known to Department employees or other inmates. The Office shall conduct at least one inspection each year of each Department facility and at least two times each year for each maximum security facility to monitor the status of all covered issues as defined in this act. The Office shall release a public report of each inspection. An inspection of a Department facility shall include an assessment of the following: • All policies and procedures related to the care of inmates; • Conditions of confinement; • Availability of educational and rehabilitative programing, drug and mental health treatment, and inmate job training; • All policies and procedures related to visitation; • All procedures and policies of medical facilities; • Review of lock-downs at the facility in the time since the last inspection; • Review of staffing at the facility; • Review of physical and sexual assaults at the facility; • Review of any inmate or staff deaths; and • Review of staff recruitment for the Department. Upon completion of the inspection, the Office shall produce a public report, with information as provided in the act, on its website, and deliver the report to the Governor, Attorney General, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Director of the Department of Corrections. The Department shall then submit a report to the Office within 30 days of the Office's inspection report which shall include a corrective action plan for each recommendation of the Office. This act also provides that the Office may initiate and attempt to resolve an investigation upon its own initiative or upon receipt of a complaint from an inmate, the inmate's family or representative, or a Department employee, regarding violations as provided in the act. The Office may decline to investigate any complaint and shall decline a complaint if the inmate has failed to first utilize Department grievance policies. The Office shall notify the complainant if it does not investigate a complaint. The Office may not investigate any complaints relating to an inmate's underlying criminal conviction and may refer any complaint to another state or federal agency. At the conclusion of an investigation, the Office shall render a public decision within 90 days of the filing of the complaint, except that the documents supporting the decision are subject to the confidentiality procedures established by the Office. The Office shall give a decision in writing to the inmate and to the Department. The Office shall give its recommendations for further action if needed. The Department shall give a report upon request to the Office within thirty days of any action taken on the Office's recommendations or the reasons for not complying with the recommendations. If the Office finds that there has been a significant inmate health or safety issue, the Office shall report such findings to the Governor, the Attorney General, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Director of the Department of Corrections. Finally, the Department and its employees shall not discharge, retaliate against, or in any manner discriminate against any person because such person has filed any complaint or instituted any proceeding under this act. A complaint may be filed with the Attorney General, within 30 days after a violation occurs, for any alleged discharge or retaliation against a complainant. There shall be a rebuttable presumption of retaliation if the complainant has suffered abuse or any other violation after he or she filed a complaint under this act. This act is identical to SB 378 (2025), SB 798 (2024), SB 327 (2023), SB 899 (2022), and SB 471 (2021). TRISTAN BENSON, JR.
SCR 14 is a symbolic resolution recognizing the special relationship between the United States and Ireland. It does not create new laws, impose requirements, or directly affect any people or groups. The resolution serves only to express legislative sentiment about U.S.-Ireland relations. It is currently under review by the Senate Rules Committee following a scheduled hearing.
This Missouri bill repeals an existing law and states that unborn children, defined as developing from conception to birth, are subject to the constitutional protections of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. It requires Missouri laws to recognize unborn children's rights at every stage of development, including rights to life and due process. The bill explicitly states it does not create new legal claims against women for not following prenatal care. This changes how state laws are interpreted regarding unborn children's constitutional standing.
HB 3114 requires all railroads operating in Missouri to provide digital copies of station and valuation maps (showing property values) for both active and abandoned rail lines to the state land surveyor. It also mandates that state, county, and city government agencies provide certified copies of relevant records to the state land surveyor or department of agriculture at no cost or actual reproduction cost. The bill allows the department of agriculture to sell maps and records, with all revenue deposited into a dedicated fund for land survey services.
SR 543 - This Senate resolution modifies Senate Rule 96 to provide that, no later than March 1, 2026, the Senate shall provide an audio and video feed of its proceedings on the website of the Senate. This resolution is identical to SR 32 (2025). JIM ERTLE
HB 1610 shortens the time limit for filing certain lawsuits in Missouri. It lowers the statute of limitations for contract disputes (excluding some), statutory liability claims (not penalties), trespass on land, personal property damage, and fraud cases. For fraud, the bill clarifies that the clock starts when the harm is discovered, but limits the total window to ten years from the discovery. This change directly affects individuals and businesses seeking legal recourse for these specific types of claims by reducing the timeframe they have to file a lawsuit.
This bill authorizes the medical malpractice joint underwriting association to suspend its operations. It provides the association with the legal authority to temporarily halt its activities, such as managing insurance pools for healthcare providers. The bill does not change existing insurance rules or affect patients or providers directly; it only grants the association procedural flexibility. This is a procedural measure with no substantive policy changes.
HB 2182 would shorten the time limit for filing personal injury lawsuits from five years to two years, applying only to claims accruing on or after August 28, 2026. This directly affects individuals who suffer injuries (such as from car accidents, medical errors, or slips and falls) and the defendants they sue, requiring them to file within two years instead of five. The bill modifies the statute of limitations for non-contract claims involving injury to a person or rights, including common personal injury cases. It does not affect existing claims or those arising before the effective date.
HB 1626 allows Missouri electrical utilities to include the costs of constructing new clean baseload power plants (like nuclear facilities) in their rate base during construction, enabling them to recover these costs through customer rates before the plant is fully operational. The Public Service Commission must approve the amount included, limiting it to the project’s estimated cost and actual spending during construction. If the project is delayed or costs were incurred imprudently, utilities must refund overcharges with interest. This provision applies only to new plants not operational by August 28, 2026, and expires on December 31, 2036, unless extended.
HB 1645 modifies Missouri's statute of limitations for personal injury claims, with a key focus on childhood sexual abuse cases. It extends the filing deadline for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to either 20 years after turning 21 or within three years of discovering the abuse connection, whichever occurs later (Section 537.046). The bill also prohibits courts from enforcing nondisclosure agreements in such cases (Section 537.046(4)). These changes apply to claims arising on or after August 28, 2026, directly affecting survivors seeking legal recourse for past abuse.
HB 2241 establishes a registration system for certain children's homes that wish to accept foster children. It requires these facilities to register annually with an approved child care organization meeting strict criteria (20+ years established, written safety/child welfare standards, and oversight capacity). Registered homes must submit detailed annual reports on staffing, capacity, compliance with safety laws, and foster children's information, and provide written contracts with parents/guardians outlining services, fees, and medical consent procedures. The bill also creates a new "Child Protection Board" within the state social services department to oversee registered facilities and review abuse/neglect complaints. This directly affects children's homes, foster care agencies, and the families placing children in these facilities.
