Rep. Barry Hovis

Maddy summaryHB 1269 regulates private career colleges (proprietary schools) by requiring them to post a security bond to protect students. The bond - minimum $5,000 or 10% of prior year’s tuition (capped at $100,000) - must cover refunds or losses if a school closes, violates rules, or fails to deliver programs. It also sets deadlines for reviewing new programs (90 days) and requires schools to refund tuition or arrange alternatives if they close. The bill exempts public institutions, certain religious schools, and non-profits from these rules.

Maddy summaryHB 1055 modifies absentee ballot rules to help voters correct incomplete ballots before they're rejected. If a ballot envelope lacks required information (like a notarized signature or completed statement), election officials must notify the voter immediately via mail, phone, or email, explaining what's missing and how to fix it. Voters can then submit a corrected statement by the time polls close on election day to have their ballot counted; if they don't fix it in time, the ballot is rejected. The bill also restricts election staff from allowing third parties to contact voters about missing information and prohibits changing ballot selections after the envelope is received. This directly affects absentee voters and election officials handling ballot processing.

Maddy summaryHB 977 requires state and local public retirement systems to sell investments in specific Chinese entities or products by August 2026. It directly affects pension funds managing retirement savings for government employees, mandating divestment from "restricted entities" like those on U.S. sanctions lists (e.g., Communist Chinese military companies) or controlled by the Chinese government. Key provisions include annual reviews to identify restricted investments, a deadline for divestment (with limited exceptions for financial impact), and rules for handling shared investment funds. The bill aims to align retirement fund investments with U.S. national security interests by removing holdings tied to entities posing risks under federal law.

Maddy summaryHB 558 modifies the Sheriffs' Retirement System by establishing a board of directors to manage the fund and outlining how it is funded. It requires counties to collect and deposit sheriffs' payroll contributions into the fund, allows the board to accept gifts or donations, and adds a $3 surcharge on court costs (in civil and most criminal cases) to generate additional funding. These funds are dedicated solely to paying retirement benefits for sheriffs, as specified in related statutes. The bill does not change benefit amounts but ensures consistent funding mechanisms for the system.

Maddy summaryHB 263 revises Missouri's rules for admitting expert witness testimony in court. It creates two tiers: for specific cases (like family court, juvenile proceedings, or non-jury trials), it allows expert opinions without strict foundational requirements. For all other cases, it requires experts to demonstrate their testimony is (1) helpful to the judge or jury, (2) based on sufficient facts/data, (3) derived from reliable methods, and (4) reliably applied to the case. The bill also prohibits experts in criminal cases from opining on whether a defendant had a mental state that defines the crime. This directly affects lawyers, experts, and courts handling testimony across most civil and criminal trials.

Maddy summaryHB 148 allows trustees of reorganized common sewer districts to receive compensation for their service. The bill establishes specific payment rules: trustees may receive up to $100 per meeting attendance (max two meetings monthly, or four in first-class counties), plus reimbursement for actual expenses incurred. It applies to all trustees except those serving on 11-member boards in multi-county districts or 10-member boards in large cities (population over 350,000), where trustees may only be reimbursed for expenses but not paid attendance fees. The bill clarifies that compensation schedules require county governing body approval and aligns payment structures with existing sewer district governance rules.

Maddy summaryHB 559 modifies the governance of Missouri's Local Government Employees' Retirement System (LAGERS) by changing how one board trustee position is filled. Starting January 1, 2026, the trustee position currently elected by employer governing bodies will instead be elected by retirees (retirants) of the system. The bill also updates eligibility rules, term lengths, and election procedures to maintain balanced representation from employees, employers, and retirees on the seven-member board.

Maddy summaryHB 2476 allows trustees of reorganized common sewer districts to receive compensation for their services, provided the payment schedule is approved by the county governing body. The bill establishes specific rules for attendance fees, limiting payments to a maximum of $100 per meeting with caps on the number of meetings a trustee can attend in a month or week to prevent excessive pay. Additionally, the legislation outlines procedures for appointing board members, defining their terms, and authorizing the districts to hire necessary staff and chief engineers to manage sewer operations. This law applies primarily to counties with charter governments containing large cities, while also setting different compensation and appointment standards for districts spanning multiple counties.