Rep. John Black

Maddy summaryHB 2830 proposes increasing a user fee collected by Missouri recorders of deeds from $3 to $9 per recorded property document. This fee change directly affects property owners and real estate professionals who must pay the fee when recording deeds, mortgages, or other land-related documents. The additional $6 per transaction (making the total $9) would be sent to the Missouri Housing Trust Fund, specifically designated for housing-related programs under Section 215.034. The bill does not alter other fee components, such as the $2 retained by recorders for office operations or the $1 allocated to land survey and local records funds.

Maddy summaryHB 2120 requires Missouri public school districts and charter schools to implement comprehensive antibullying policies. It defines bullying broadly to include physical, verbal, cyber, and electronic harassment that causes fear, disrupts learning, or interferes with educational opportunities. Key requirements include: mandating staff to report witnessed bullying within one school day, banning zero-tolerance disciplinary policies, requiring investigations within ten school days of a report, and providing annual training for staff on policy implementation and student education about bullying prevention. The bill also prohibits retaliation against reporters and mandates specific procedures for notifying parents and addressing incidents, including considerations for self-defense in violent situations.

Maddy summaryHB 1756 designates the first week of June each year as "June's Week" in Missouri to honor June, a Missouri child with a rare pediatric cancer (ATRT-B), and to raise public awareness about rare pediatric diseases. The bill encourages Missourians to participate in events that promote early symptom recognition and support families affected by these conditions. It is a symbolic observance with no new funding or regulatory changes, solely focused on commemoration and awareness. This is a procedural resolution, not a substantive policy bill.

Maddy summaryHB 2122 allows Missouri electrical corporations to include the costs of constructing new nuclear power plants (under 600 MW) in their rate base *before* the plants are completed and operational. This means utilities can recover these pre-completion construction costs through customer rates immediately, rather than waiting until the plant is finished. The Public Service Commission must approve the exact amount based on estimated project costs and actual spending during construction, with refunds required if costs were wasted or the plant isn't completed on time. The provision expires in 2036 unless extended by the Commission, and applies only to new nuclear plants not in operation by August 2026. This directly affects utilities and their ratepayers by changing how construction costs are recovered.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a dedicated "Division of Tourism Supplemental Revenue Fund" in Missouri's state treasury, funded primarily by a portion of sales taxes from tourism-related businesses (such as hotels, attractions, and travel services, identified by specific SIC codes). The fund's annual deposits are capped at $3 million more than the previous year's amount and are calculated using tourism sales tax revenue. Before spending from the fund, the Division of Tourism must submit a marketing strategy to legislative committees for review. The fund expires on June 30, 2020, and its money cannot be returned to the general revenue fund at the end of a biennium.

Maddy summaryHB 2123 creates a merit-based scholarship program for Missouri students attending in-state colleges. It provides up to $3,000 annually for students in the top 3% of Missouri ACT/SAT test-takers and up to $1,000 for those in the top 4-5%, covering tuition at Missouri public or private institutions. Eligibility requires Missouri residency, high school graduation, and a qualifying test score, with special provisions for military service, medical leave, or nonprofit work. The program is administered by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education, starting before the 2027-28 academic year.

Maddy summaryHB 2598 establishes the Missouri Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and a dedicated fund to provide grants for eligible nuclear energy projects in the state. The bill creates a new office within the Department of Natural Resources to administer grants covering pre-construction costs like site planning, engineering, and licensing fees for projects combining advanced nuclear reactors (including small modular reactors) with natural gas facilities. Grants are capped at $100 million per project, require that natural gas electricity sales fund nuclear project costs until commissioning, and prohibit use for projects recovering costs through utility rates. The office must ensure transparent grant allocation, track project performance, and maintain confidentiality of applicant information.

Maddy summaryHB 2638 would have created a fee system to fund behavioral health crisis services by charging mobile phone providers. Dealers selling prepaid mobile services would collect $2.50 per transaction from end users, while providers of postpaid services would charge $0.65 monthly per line for customers using Missouri as their primary location. All collected funds would go into the "988 Crisis Continuum Fund" managed by the Department of Mental Health to support crisis services like the 988 hotline and mobile response teams. The bill was prefaced in January 2026 but withdrawn the same month, so it did not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 682 increases tax credits for businesses contributing to approved community programs, allowing up to 70% of eligible contributions as tax savings (capped at $6 million annually). It offers enhanced incentives for contributions in small towns (under 15,000 residents) or distressed areas, with separate rules for affordable housing investments (55% credit, capped at $10 million yearly). Businesses must certify program eligibility and housing income compliance, and unused credits can carry forward for up to 10 years. The bill excludes tax credits for banks, insurance companies, or normal business activities.

Maddy summaryHB 997 modifies how the state public utility commission calculates and collects fees to cover its regulatory costs. It requires the commission to separately estimate expenses for different utility groups (electric, gas, water, etc.) and assess fees based on each group's share of total utility revenues, with a cap of 0.315% until 2026 and 0.35% afterward. The collected fees fund a dedicated "Public Service Commission Fund" to cover regulatory expenses, with unspent balances carried forward to reduce future assessments. Utilities must annually report their intrastate revenues to the commission by March 31 to enable this calculation.