Rep. George Hruza

Maddy summaryHB 2273 establishes a new "Committee on Sex and Human Trafficking Training" to standardize and improve training for professionals who interact with trafficking victims. The committee, composed of representatives from law enforcement, child advocacy, victim services, and medical centers, will create annual training guidelines and produce digital training materials for professions required to complete such training under existing laws. This bill directly affects state agencies, law enforcement, healthcare providers, and child advocacy organizations that must provide or receive trafficking training. The committee's work will replace outdated training requirements with updated standards, effective January 1, 2027, and expire December 31, 2031. The bill does not create new criminal penalties but focuses on coordinating and modernizing existing training obligations.

Maddy summaryHB 1908 ensures Missouri courts can grant a divorce (dissolution of marriage) or legal separation even if one party is pregnant. The bill explicitly states that pregnancy status does not prevent a court from entering such a judgment, removing any prior barrier. Courts must still meet standard requirements, including residency, the marriage being irretrievably broken (for divorce) or not (for legal separation), and arrangements for children and property. This change directly affects individuals in Missouri family court cases involving pregnancy who seek divorce or legal separation.

Maddy summaryHB 1746 declares AI systems non-sentient entities under state law and assigns legal responsibility for their actions to humans. It prohibits AI from holding legal personhood, marriage rights, corporate roles, or owning property - requiring all assets and liability to remain with owners, developers, or users. The bill mandates owners to maintain oversight for AI systems impacting safety, holds developers liable only for design defects (not misuse), and prevents companies from evading accountability through shell entities. It applies to all AI developed after August 28, 2026, and requires prompt reporting of severe incidents involving AI.

Maddy summaryHB 1792 establishes a two-year pilot program (2027-2029) to integrate media literacy into K-12 public schools across 5-7 diverse districts. The program requires schools to teach students to analyze news, identify misinformation, understand algorithms, practice digital safety, and recognize bias in media - including social media and online content - while connecting these skills to First Amendment rights. The Department of Education will study pilot outcomes and develop statewide guidelines and potential standards by 2030, focusing on practical classroom strategies for critical media evaluation. This bill directly affects public school districts, educators, and students in the participating schools during the pilot period.

Maddy summaryHB 2562 modifies Missouri's sunshine law by updating when government meetings and records can be closed to the public. It specifically requires public disclosure of final votes on personnel decisions (hiring/firing/promotion) within 72 hours after a meeting, while allowing closed discussions about individual employee performance. For legal cases, it mandates public disclosure of settlement amounts upon final resolution (unless a court orders otherwise), and requires real estate transaction records to be made public after execution. The bill directly affects local governments, school boards, and public officials managing sensitive records. It does not change existing public access to most government proceedings but clarifies specific disclosure timelines for defined exemptions.

Maddy summaryHB 1694, the "Act Against Abusive Website Access Litigation," creates a legal defense for Missouri residents and businesses targeted by lawsuits alleging website accessibility violations under the ADA or state law. It defines "abusive litigation" as lawsuits primarily seeking monetary settlement rather than improving accessibility, and allows Missouri residents or the Attorney General to challenge such suits in court. Key provisions include a 90-day window for defendants to fix accessibility issues before new claims can be deemed abusive, and courts may award attorney fees and punitive damages (up to three times fees) against parties filing abusive lawsuits. The bill expires if the federal DOJ issues website accessibility standards under the ADA. It directly affects Missouri-based website operators and plaintiffs filing accessibility lawsuits in state courts.

Maddy summaryHB 2559 requires state agencies to obtain legislative approval before implementing new administrative rules that would cost over $250,000 annually for government, businesses, or individuals. Agencies must notify the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and the full legislature, which must pass a concurrent resolution approving the rule before it takes effect. Rules not approved this way become invalid, with exceptions for federal compliance or funding requirements. This directly affects state agencies creating significant-cost rules and shifts authority to the legislature for final approval.

Maddy summaryHB 2368 prohibits AI developers and deployers in Missouri from advertising or representing artificial intelligence as a mental health professional or capable of providing therapy services. The bill directly affects companies or individuals creating or using AI systems in the state, requiring them to avoid misleading claims about AI's clinical capabilities. Violations would be enforced by the Missouri Attorney General under the state's consumer protection laws, with civil penalties of $10,000 for first offenses and $20,000 for subsequent violations. The bill is currently in early legislative stages (prefiled and first reading) and does not regulate AI use in mental health treatment itself, only advertising practices.

Maddy summaryHJR 174 proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow Missouri to eliminate its individual income tax by 2031 if specific revenue targets are met, while requiring the state to offset any revenue lost from this change. It prohibits expanding sales taxes to new services beyond those taxed in 2015 and mandates that local governments reduce other taxes (like property or sales taxes) if they expand the sales tax base to fund income tax elimination. The amendment also requires the state to adjust sales tax rates to maintain historical revenue levels after 2028 and exempts certain tax increases from revenue caps. This is a proposed amendment requiring voter approval, not current law, and does not affect existing tax debts or taxes on businesses, trusts, or estates.

Maddy summaryHB 1974 restricts how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and SNAP (food stamp) benefit cards can be used. It prohibits purchases at liquor stores, casinos, gambling venues, and for alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, or other items deemed not in a child's best interest. Recipients face disqualification periods (3 months for first violation, up to 5 years for third) if they make prohibited purchases, while businesses accepting such payments face escalating fines. The bill also requires recipients to make at least one electronic benefit transaction in Missouri every 90 days to avoid temporary payment suspension.