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My colleagues,
The General Assembly has finished its third full week of session. The Senate has suffered from repeated stalls and disruptions as part of the ongoing fissures between Senate leadership and the Freedom Caucus. Acrimony reached new levels after last Thursday, when the Governor’s appointments to departments and boards were blocked by members of the Freedom Caucus who demanded the Chamber first pass changes to the initiative petition process. Debate on the floor has frequently been heated and personal, and members of the Freedom Caucus have publicly called for the removal of Senate leadership. On Tuesday, Senate President Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia), removed four Senators from their positions as Committee Chairs in response to their ongoing pattern of disrupting Senate floor activity.
This week, Governor Parson gave his final State of the State address and outlined his budget recommendations for the upcoming fiscal year. The Governor has proposed additional investments in childcare rates, support for foster families, and state employee wages. He also touted legislative efforts to establish tax credits to support childcare as well as increasing penalties for exposing minors to fentanyl.
Below is an overview of some of NASW’s priority areas as well as actions on specific bills of interest over the past three weeks.
1. Anti-Poverty Efforts – NASW Missouri Chapter supports policies to relieve financial hardship and provide adequate assistance for individuals living in poverty. Bills related to this policy area include:
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Create a series of tax credits to spur investment in childcare to improve access and affordability. HB 1488, sponsored by Representative Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph), passed the House Workforce Development Committee and a House Rules Committee. It is now eligible to be placed on the calendar for floor debate. SB 742, sponsored by Senator Lauren Arthur (D-Kansas City), passed the Senate Governmental Accountability Committee. NASW Missouri Chapter testified in support of these bills during the committee hearings.
2. Children and Youth – NASW Missouri Chapter advocates for policies to educate and protect Missouri’s youth, especially marginalized individuals, such as LGBT+ youth, homeless youth, youth living in poverty, and youth of color. Bills related to this policy area include:
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Ban the negligent discharge of firearms within municipal limits. Blair’s Law is named in memory of a child killed by celebratory gunfire. SB 788, sponsored by Senator Greg Razer (D-Kansas City), was combined with other public safety bills and passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. NASW Missouri Chapter supported Senator Razer’s bill. We also supported two Blair’s Law bills in the House Urban Issues Committee: HB 1437, sponsored by Representative Sherri Gallick (R-Belton), and HB 1477, sponsored by Representative Mark Sharp (D-Kansas City).
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Provide homeless youth with a free copy of their state ID. SB 772, sponsored by Senator Elaine Gannon (R-DeSoto), was referred to the Senate Transportation Committee. HB 1775, sponsored by Representative Chad Perkins (R-Bowling Green), was referred to the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee. NASW Missouri Chapter will support these bills in committee.
4. Health and Behavioral Health – NASW Missouri Chapter supports affordable access to physical and behavioral health services, with an emphasis on individuals who are uninsured, underinsured, or Medicaid participants. Bills related to this policy area include:
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Streamline the prior authorization process for healthcare providers and introduce greater transparency into the process. HB 1976, sponsored by Representative Melanie Stinnett (R-Springfield), unanimously passed the House Healthcare Reform Committee. NASW Missouri Chapter supported this bill in committee.
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Require insurers to cover an annual supply of oral hormonal contraceptives to improve patient access. HB 2190, sponsored by Representative Tara Peters (R-Rolla), was heard in the House Healthcare Reform Committee. NASW Missouri Chapter supports this legislation.
5. Human Rights – NASW Missouri Chapter advocates for policies that affirm the dignity of all individuals, especially marginalized communities such as LGBT+ individuals and people of color. Bills related to this policy area include:
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Modify the gender affirming care restrictions passed last session to make the language even more stringent. The current prohibition on prescribing hormone therapies or puberty blockers to minors expires in 2027 and exempts minors already receiving these treatments before August 28, 2023. HB 1520, sponsored by Representative Brad Hudson (R-Cape Fair), removes these two provisions. This was one of seven anti-trans bills heard in the House Emerging Issues Committee. Working in concert with LGBT advocacy groups, NASW Missouri Chapter specifically opposed Representative Hudson’s HB 1519, which protects individuals and institutions who refuse to provide gender affirming care. Executive Director Cassie Brown’s testimony is quoted in this article. HB 1519, HB 1520, and other anti-trans bills advanced through this committee.
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Mandate that school personnel inform a student's parent within 24 hours if the student expresses confusion about their gender identity or requests to use alternate pronouns. SB 728, sponsored by Senator Andrew Koenig (R-St. Louis), passed the Senate Education Committee. NASW Missouri Chapter opposes this bill.
5. Protecting the Social Work Profession – NASW Missouri Chapter advocates for policies that protect the profession of social work and the individuals we serve, including licensure standards, continuing education requirements, and scope of practice. Bills related to this policy area include:
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Require social workers to complete two hours of continuing education relating to sex and human trafficking awareness each renewal cycle. This language was filed on HB 1706, sponsored by Representative Jeff Myers (R-Warrenton), and SB 906, sponsored by Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold). NASW Missouri Chapter has instead proposed requiring educational hours on human trafficking awareness for initial licensure. This would build a better understanding of trafficking while preserving flexibility in social workers’ CEs on an ongoing basis.
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Codify in law that audio-only technologies can be used for telehealth services. This is essential to ensuring access for individuals without sufficient broadband access. NASW Missouri Chapter supported HB 1907, sponsored by Representative Melanie Stinnett (R-Springfield), in the House Healthcare Reform Committee.
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