Rep. Louis Riggs

Maddy summaryHB 2219 designates a specific segment of highway between Riverview Drive and a point in Ralls County as the "James Thompson Highway." The bill requires the state Department of Transportation to install and maintain signs for this designation, with costs covered by private donations rather than public funds. This naming resolution directly affects travelers and residents in Ralls County along this road segment. As a procedural bill, it has no substantive policy changes or voting record beyond the naming action.

Maddy summaryHB 3359 creates a tax credit allowing Missouri taxpayers to reduce their state income tax by 20% of qualifying donations to STEAM or robotics programs in local K-12 schools, with a maximum annual credit of $50,000 per taxpayer. Eligible donations include cash, educational materials, or up to 200 hours of employee time per year (valued at the employee's hourly wage). The program is capped at $10 million in total credits annually, and unused credits can be carried forward for up to seven years. This initiative, set to expire after six years unless renewed, requires schools to register with the state and mandates annual reporting on program participation and costs.

Maddy summaryHB 2998 modifies Missouri statutes to support rural economic development through several concrete measures. It prohibits electric utilities from closing coal-fired power plants for five years (§393.407), requires solar projects to source 90% of equipment and labor from Missouri or the U.S. (§393.1120), and caps solar development on cropland at 2% per county (§393.1122). The bill also mandates prioritized funding for rural roads based on population (§226.035) and establishes a Rural Development Office within the Department of Economic Development to coordinate rural programs and report on community needs like broadband and healthcare (§620.070). These provisions directly affect utilities, solar developers, transportation planners, and rural communities across Missouri.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates April 27th each year as "Ulysses S. Grant Day" in Missouri. It encourages Missouri citizens to observe the day through events celebrating Ulysses S. Grant, who lived in St. Louis after graduating from West Point and before the Civil War. The bill creates no new legal requirements or funding, only establishing an annual commemorative observance. It directly affects Missouri residents by designating a specific date for honoring Grant's historical connection to the state.

Maddy summaryHCR 38 is a Missouri legislative resolution urging the federal National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to permit the state to retain its $1.7 billion allocation of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds. The resolution specifically requests that NTIA allow Missouri to continue managing these federal broadband funds through its existing Office of Broadband Development, without requiring changes to current grant administration processes. This follows NTIA's 2025 modification of BEAD project requirements and concerns about potential fund clawbacks. The resolution does not alter federal law but formally requests that the NTIA maintain Missouri's access to these funds for expanding rural internet infrastructure.

Maddy summaryHB 2886 updates Missouri's broadband grant program to fund projects expanding high-speed internet access in unserved and underserved areas. It defines "unserved" areas as lacking 500 Mbps download/upload speeds and "underserved" areas as lacking 750 Mbps speeds, requiring new projects to prioritize 500 Mbps or higher speeds (matching FCC standards). Grants must be used exclusively for broadband infrastructure, with strict repayment rules if funds are misused. The program expires in 2030 unless renewed by the legislature.

Maddy summaryHB 3006 creates a new position called "Coordinator of Federal Funds Recovery" within Missouri's state treasurer's office. The coordinator would monitor all federal funds appropriated to Missouri but never received, attempt to recover these funds through legal actions, and establish a system for state employees to report missing federal funds. This bill directly affects state employees who handle federal funds and the treasurer's office, which would manage the new role. It proposes concrete policy changes to track and pursue unclaimed federal funds through specific, actionable mechanisms.

Maddy summaryHB 2226 requires state agencies to include an estimate of staff hours needed to implement new state programs when preparing fiscal notes for proposed legislation. This change applies specifically to new programs created by bills, affecting state agencies responsible for drafting these fiscal assessments. The bill modifies existing requirements by adding this staffing estimate as a mandatory item alongside cost calculations and other impact analyses. It does not alter other fiscal note elements like small business impacts or federal mandate checks.

Maddy summaryHB 2215 would allow Missouri residents to deduct all paid tangible personal property taxes (such as taxes on cars, boats, or equipment) from their state income tax starting in 2027. Eligible taxpayers could claim this deduction either as a standard subtraction or through itemized deductions on their state tax return, excluding penalties, interest, or special assessments. The Department of Revenue would verify qualifying amounts, and the program would automatically expire six years after implementation unless the legislature reauthorizes it. This change directly affects individual taxpayers with tangible personal property tax obligations who file Missouri income taxes.

Maddy summaryHB 2217 requires public school districts and colleges to submit detailed information about their curricula and textbooks to a state-run online database. School districts must provide syllabi, textbook bibliographic details (title, author, website), and curriculum links every six months, while colleges must report course descriptions and textbook information. The database will be searchable by the public, with protections for copyright compliance (no digital reproduction or infringement required). The law applies starting in the 2026-27 school year for K-12 and 2026-27 academic year for higher education. It directly affects all public schools and colleges in the state by mandating transparency in instructional materials.