Rep. Michael O'Donnell

Maddy summaryHB 154 changes how utility companies (gas, water, and sewer corporations) set new rates. It allows these companies to request a "future test year" starting July 1, 2026, for rate cases, meaning they base rates on projected costs for the next 12 months instead of current costs. If actual costs at year-end are lower than projected, companies must return the difference to customers through automatic refunds. The bill also prohibits companies from recovering costs of new investments made during the test year period. This directly affects utility companies and their customers by altering rate-setting timelines and creating a refund mechanism for cost savings.

Maddy summaryHB 152 sets rules for municipal bonds seeking "green bond" certification in the state. It requires that at least 85% of the money raised from these bonds fund specific environmentally focused projects, such as renewable energy, pollution control, or sustainable water management. Bonds meeting these standards qualify for state income tax exemption on interest, though this exemption doesn’t apply if bonds finance private projects. To ensure compliance, municipalities must establish a separate protection fund for bondholders and allow state audits to verify proper use of funds.

Maddy summaryHB 153 modifies Missouri's Property Assessment Clean Energy Act to establish new rules for property-assessed clean energy (PACE) programs. It creates definitions for key terms like "assessment contract" (a special property tax for financing energy upgrades) and "clean energy development board" (a municipal group that administers financing). The bill specifically excludes residential properties from these programs, focusing instead on commercial and industrial properties. Key mechanisms include allowing municipalities to form boards that collect annual assessments over up to 30 years to fund energy efficiency or renewable energy improvements like solar panels or insulation. These assessments become liens on the property, and boards must report annually on financed projects and collected fees.

Maddy summaryHB 150 modifies bond issuance rules for Missouri local governments and special districts. It caps interest rates at 14% (up from 10%) or 250 basis points above the longest-term U.S. Treasury bond, whichever is higher, and lowers the minimum sale price to 50% of par value (down from 95%). Competitive bidding is required for most general obligation bonds unless a municipal advisor is used, with exceptions for small issuances, federal/state sales, or refinancing. Special provisions apply to housing authorities and industrial development bonds, allowing private sales under specific conditions. This directly affects counties, cities, school districts, hospital districts, and other entities issuing bonds for public projects.

Maddy summaryHB 447 repeals and replaces Missouri's existing charter school laws to restrict where charter schools can operate and who can sponsor them. The bill limits charter schools to specific districts: metropolitan areas, large urban districts (over 350,000 residents), unaccredited or provisionally accredited districts, certain counties (150,000-200,000 population), and counties with charter government. It also imposes a 35% enrollment cap for districts with over 1,550 students and restricts sponsors to local school boards, accredited colleges, or community colleges serving the district. These changes directly affect school districts, charter school operators, and students in the specified geographic areas.

Maddy summaryHB 151 creates special license plates for Missouri veterans who served in Afghanistan and/or Iraq and received specific campaign medals. Veterans who earned both the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal may get plates displaying "AFGHANISTAN & IRAQ VETERAN" with both medals, while those with only the Afghanistan Medal get plates with "AFGHANISTAN VETERAN" and the single medal. Applicants must provide proof of service, medal awards, and veteran status, pay a $15 fee on top of regular registration, and use the plates on personal vehicles (not commercial or heavy trucks). The plates are non-transferable except to co-owners if the veteran dies, and they replace the standard "SHOW-ME STATE" wording with the veteran designation.

Maddy summaryHB 238 creates a new mechanism for Missouri electrical utilities to recover specific costs through special nonbypassable charges on customer bills. It defines "securitized utility tariff bonds" and allows utilities to collect funds for "energy transition costs" (like retiring power plants) and "qualified extraordinary costs" (such as extreme weather-related fuel expenses) via these charges. The bill establishes that these costs, approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission, will be recovered through separate charges added to all retail customer bills, excluding certain existing special contracts. This directly affects utilities seeking cost recovery and all retail electricity customers paying these new charges. The policy changes clarify how utilities can finance and collect these specific costs without relying solely on traditional rate cases.

Maddy summaryHB 229 creates a voluntary program allowing bank and credit union customers to designate a "trusted contact" - an adult they choose - to be contacted by the institution during emergencies, suspected fraud, or if the customer becomes unresponsive. It directly affects customers who opt into the program and financial institutions that choose to offer it. Key provisions include allowing institutions to report suspected fraud without liability, setting transaction limits for trusted contacts accessing account details, and providing legal immunity for both institutions and trusted contacts acting in good faith. The bill ensures customers can always revoke a trusted contact designation and clarifies that institutions are protected from liability related to the program's implementation.

Maddy summaryHB 230 updates civil penalties for violations of natural gas safety standards by aligning maximum fines with federal guidelines set by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation under 49 CFR Part 190.223, replacing previous state-set limits. It directly affects gas plant operators - including corporations, public utilities, and municipalities - by requiring penalties to match federal standards rather than fixed dollar amounts. Key provisions include considering factors like violation severity, prior history, and the entity’s ability to pay when determining fines, while treating each violation as a separate offense. The bill ensures penalties for ongoing violations also follow federal scales, without specifying future dollar increases.

Maddy summaryHB 92 allows electrical corporations to include construction costs for new natural gas power plants in their rate base (the assets used to calculate customer rates), but only within estimated project costs and timelines. It requires annual capacity planning reports showing how utilities will meet future energy needs for four years ahead, with penalties for failing to secure sufficient capacity due to imprudent decisions. The bill also mandates refunds with interest if construction costs are later deemed imprudently incurred, and includes a sunset provision expiring in 2035 unless extended. This directly affects utilities by changing how they recover infrastructure costs and plan for energy supply.