I am proud to report the House has passed HB 85, also known as the “2nd Amendment Preservation Act.” The bill supports Missouri’s ability to self-govern without control by the federal government. I was one of the first co-sponsors of this legislation, which is so important now that we have a president who is hostile to our right to bear arms. The bill will now be considered by the senate.
My bill protecting freedom of speech on social media is scheduled for a hearing in the House General Laws committee on Monday, Feb. 15. I encourage anyone who would like to support my bill to testify at the hearing or submit written testimony via the internet by going to https://house.mo.gov/WitnessForm/Default.aspx?noticeid=5647. If you have any questions about the process please contact my office at 573-751-4039.
One problem that continues to plague our district and state is copper theft. Criminals break into homes and businesses and cause thousands of dollars in damage in order to harvest the parts of the building – for example, plumbing, electrical and HVAC equipment – that contain copper. This year I have filed a bill, HB 69, to crack down on this problem. Under current law, scrap metal purchasers are required to maintain records for each purchase of copper. However, there are exceptions to that requirement and my bill repeals some of those exceptions. The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee unanimously this week and must pass one more committee before coming to the House floor.
This week the House Elections committee heard my bill to improve our state’s constitutional amendment process. This legislation is HJR 2, and last year it passed the Elections and Rules committees before COVID cut our session short. This proposal changes the signature requirements to place constitutional amendments on the ballot. Currently, initiative petitions shall be signed by 8% of the legal voters in six of our eight U.S. House districts. As a result, signature gatherers can get amendments on the ballot by only visiting the most populated parts of our state and ignoring the rural areas. This amendment requires that signatures shall represent every congressional district, ensuring that the entire state plays a role in the process of changing the Constitution.
The House has approved legislation to cut red tape for farmers so they will have an easier time licensing their vehicles. The bill would allow the many farmers who own multiple vehicles to avoid numerous trips to the license bureau to license each vehicle.
The bill creates a system for owners of multiple farm vehicles to have the vehicles placed on the same registration renewal schedule. All farm vehicles included in the fleet of a registered farm vehicle fleet owner would be registered during April or on a prorated basis. Farm vehicles registered under the bill would be issued a special license plate and be issued multiyear license plates that do not require a renewal tab.
Missourians now have access to a secure registry tool that will help them to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. The newly-created Missouri Vaccine Navigator can be reached online at MOStopsCovid.com/navigator.
The new navigator site allows residents to indicate their desire to be vaccinated. They will then need to answer questions to determine their eligibility based on the state’s priority phases.
Registrants will be notified upon activation of each phase and alerted when they become eligible. Individuals will then be able to seek vaccination from their health care provider if they have vaccines available or view mass vaccination events and other providers in their area.
May God bless and keep you and our great nation.
Hardy Billington represents District 152, which includes parts of Butler and Dunklin counties.