The Missouri House approved HB 115 by a vote of 147-1. Forty seven states currently allow some form of direct access to physical therapy. Studies show patients with direct access have fewer visits and less overall cost. The bill also states the physical therapist must refer to an approved health care provider any patient whose condition is beyond the physical therapist’s scope of practice, or any patient who does not demonstrate measurable or functional improvement after 10 visits or 30 days, whichever occurs first.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Supplemental budget bill
By a vote of 151-2, Missouri House members approved a supplemental spending bill and sent it to the Senate for consideration. The legislation (HB 14) will allocate more than $627 million in funding for the current state operating budget.
Some of the highlights of the supplementing spending plan include:
• 8.7% pay increase for state workers
- Does not include general assembly and statewide elected officials.
- Additional $2 an hour shift differential for night shift direct care workforce (prisons, hospitals, other care facilities).
• $286.5 million in spending authority for the State Emergency Management Agency.
• $628,750 appropriation to the Department of Agriculture to help address the growing black vulture problem impacting livestock owners statewide.
• $20 million to establish school safety programs, including physical security upgrades and associated technology, bleeding control kits, and automatic external defibrillators.
Missouri House Approves Vital Public Safety Legislation (HB 301) HB 301 is a wide-ranging public safety bill that includes a key provision that would allow the governor to appoint a special prosecutor in areas of the state with an excessive homicide rate. The governor would be empowered to appoint a prosecutor in any circuit or prosecuting attorney’s jurisdiction that has a homicide rate in excess of 35 cases per 100,000 people and where the governor determines there is a threat to public safety and health. The special prosecutor would be appointed for a period of up to five years and have exclusive jurisdiction to initiate and prosecute offenses specified in the bill.
The bill also contains other provisions to improve public safety. It will establish the Peace Officer Basic Training Tuition Reimbursement Program to help address the shortage of police officers. The bill would also ensure the Department of Corrections implement a policy to help offenders apply for Medicaid and obtain vital documents such as a birth certificate or Social Security card. Additionally, the legislation establishes factors for a judge or judicial officer to consider when setting bail, includes protections for a judicial officer’s personal information, and creates Blair’s Law.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Protecting businesses
Lawmakers approved legislation this week aimed at protecting businesses, schools, and churches from burdensome government mandates. By a vote of 105-36, the House approved HB 184 to prohibit local ordinances requiring businesses to pay for new electric vehicle charging stations.
This is in response to a trend that has seen municipalities mandate that small businesses, shopping centers, and churches install and pay for electric charging stations whenever they make improvements to their parking lot.
The bill states any political subdivision that adopts an ordinance, resolution, regulation, code, or policy that requires the installation of electric vehicle charging stations must pay all costs associated with the installation, maintenance, and operation of the stations. The bill also prohibits any political subdivision from requiring more than five electric vehicle charging stations per parking lot, or infrastructure for future installation of more than five vehicle charging stations.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
It is an honor to serve the 153rd District. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact me by email at Darrell.atchison@house.mo.gov or 573-751-1066.
Atchison represents District 153, which includes Carter and Ripley counties and parts of Wayne and Butler counties.