Rep. George Hruza

Maddy summaryHB 408 requires Missouri school districts to adopt written policies banning student use of cell phones, smartwatches, and other connected devices during regular class time starting in the 2025-26 school year. The policy must prohibit devices in classrooms unless authorized by a principal, require students to turn off and store devices during instruction, and include exceptions for students with IEPs, 504 plans, or individualized health care plans. It also mandates guidelines for device use during non-instructional activities like field trips. The law directly affects all K-12 public school students and school districts across Missouri.

Maddy summaryHB 416 replaces Missouri's existing school safety laws with new requirements. It mandates that all public school districts and charter schools adopt comprehensive emergency operations plans covering safety, crisis response, and mental health support, and conduct annual facility security assessments. The bill also requires schools to implement the "Stop the Bleed" program by 2026, including placing bleeding control kits in high-traffic areas, training staff annually on their use, and inspecting kits yearly for expired supplies. These changes directly affect all Missouri public schools and charter schools.

Maddy summaryHB 798 revises Missouri's state income tax rates for residents. It temporarily caps the top tax rate at 4.95% for tax years 2023 through 2025 (lower than the previous top rate), and sets a permanent top rate of 4.7% for tax years beginning in 2026 or later. The bill also allows for annual 0.15 percentage point reductions in the top rate starting in 2024, contingent on state revenue exceeding a specified threshold. These changes directly affect Missouri residents who pay state income tax on their taxable income.

Maddy summaryHB 247 creates a new five-year motor vehicle registration option for vehicles with a model year of manufacture less than six years old. This change directly affects owners of relatively new passenger vehicles who would previously have been required to register annually or biennially. The bill repeals existing registration terms and establishes that eligible vehicles may be registered for a five-year period instead of the standard shorter terms. This is a concrete policy change to registration duration, not a fee adjustment or new requirement.

Maddy summaryHB 508 modifies Missouri's income tax code to align the state's calculation of taxable income with federal treatment of capital gains. It repeals an existing section and replaces it with a new provision requiring Missouri taxpayers to add back federal capital gains deductions to their federal adjusted gross income when calculating state tax liability. This directly affects Missouri residents who claim capital gains deductions on their federal tax returns, as it ensures those deductions are properly accounted for in their Missouri tax calculation. The bill does not create new deductions but adjusts how existing federal capital gains deductions are treated under Missouri law.

Maddy summaryHB 79 requires health insurance plans to count all patient payments for medications without available generic substitutes toward the annual out-of-pocket maximum. This directly affects patients who need non-generic medications and health insurers or pharmacy benefit managers administering plans. The bill mandates that insurers include these costs in calculating out-of-pocket limits, prevents them from adjusting cost-sharing based on patient assistance programs for such medications, and applies to most health plans starting August 2025. It excludes health savings account-qualified plans for preventive care and certain labor-managed plans. The law aims to ensure consistent cost calculations for patients facing medication access barriers.