ST. LOUIS — Aug. 28 marks the first day for many of the laws passed in the 2024 legislative session and later signed into law.
Republicans held the Governor's mansion and a supermajority in both houses for 2024, but infighting between Republicans and partisan battles between Democrats and Republicans led to a new record for the fewest bills passed in a session.
The bills that were passed were later signed by Republican Governor Mike Parson. Here are some of the new laws that take effect starting Wednesday.
K-12 students from low-income families across Missouri will soon have access to private school scholarships under legislation passed this year.
The voucher-like scholarship program, which takes effect Aug. 28, will offer as much as $6,375 per child for expenses including tuition, textbooks, tutoring, transportation, extracurricular activities, and summer school. Scholarship accounts are funded by private donors in exchange for tax credits.
The initiative also promises hundreds of millions of dollars more for public schools, a compromise made to help the bill pass the Legislature where so-called “school choice” policies have struggled to advance.
The bill also includes a pay raise for teachers. Teachers will be paid a minimum of $40,000 a year under the new law, with additional incentives for long-time teachers with master's degrees.
A Missouri bill aimed at barring Medicaid funding from going to abortion healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood was signed into law.
State Rep. Cody Smith (R-Jasper County) said Missouri House Bill 2634 would prohibit taxpayer dollars, primarily in the Medicaid program, from going toward organizations that perform abortions and their affiliates, like Planned Parenthood, which is a national organization.
Planned Parenthood sued the state this week after receiving official notice that it would be removed the state's Medicaid program. The organization said its doors remain open and they will continue serving Medicaid patients due to overwhelming support and donations.
Lawmakers clarified parts of the senior property tax freeze passed in 2023.
Under the updated rules, anyone over the age of 62 can freeze their property taxes at 2024 levels, not just those on Social Security.
The update also states that property taxes can increase if a substantial improvement to the home after the initial year that the credit is applied increases the home's value.
The property tax freeze passed in 2023 leaves the decision to implement the freeze up to the counties.
House Bill 2062 was an expansive property use bill that allows jurisdictions to establish land banks, bans eviction moratoriums unless authorized by law, and rules that homeowner's associations can't ban a homeowner from "pasturing of up to six chickens".
Other changes in the bill include the banning of home inspection requirements for the sale of older homes and the establishment of provisions for removing people unlawfully occupying property.
Senate Bill 754 is an expansive public safety bill that increases the minimum age of a juvenile that can be tried as an adult, establishes a "Stop Cyberstalking and Harassment Task Force" and increases the severity of some crimes.
The changes include the establishment of Blair's Law — which creates escalating punishments for multiple charges for unlawful discharge of a firearm — Max's Law — which upgrades the offense of assault of a law enforcement animal from a class-C misdemeanor to wither a class-A misdemeanor, class-E felony or class-D felony depending on the severity of the assault — and Valentine's Law — which creates the offense of aggravated fleeing a stop or detention of a motor vehicle.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
