For Immediate Release: Sept. 24, 2012

Joint Committees Hold Meetings This Week at State Capitol

Legislators discuss Missouri's criminal code
and the abuse and neglect of children in the Show-Me State

JEFFERSON CITY — Two joint legislative committees are scheduled to meet this week at the State Capitol to discuss two different topics designed to address the same issue: public safety. 

The first, the Joint Interim Committee on the Missouri Criminal Code, is scheduled to meet Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 1:00 p.m. in the Senate Lounge.  Co-chaired by Assistant Minority Floor Leader Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, the panel is slated to discuss Chapter 566 (Sexual Offenses), Chapter 567 (Prostitution), Chapter 568 (Offenses Against the Family), and Chapter 573 (Pornography and Related Offenses) found within the state’s criminal code.  

The panel was created by the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 28 and is responsible for conducting a comprehensive review of the Missouri Criminal Code and the Missouri Bar Association’s recommendations for revising the code; examining any other relevant issues; and recommending ways to improve the cohesiveness, consistency, and effectiveness of Missouri’s criminal laws.

Other senators serving on the joint interim committee include Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, and Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar.  To see the committee’s hearing schedule, along with various charts related to the panel’s review of Missouri’s criminal statutes, visit www.senate.mo.gov/12Info/comm/interim/JICC.htm.

The other legislative committee scheduled to meet this week in Jefferson City is the Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, which will convene in the Senate Lounge on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 1:00 p.m.  This is the panel’s first organizational meeting, required within 30 days after the effective date of the committee’s creation.

The panel was established by the passage of Senate Bill 628.  Members of the committee are charged with studying and analyzing the state child abuse and neglect reporting and investigation system; devising a plan for improving the decision process for removal of a child from a home; determining the additional personnel and resources necessary to adequately protect children and improve their welfare; and addressing the need for additional foster care homes and to improve the quality of care provided to abused and neglected children in the custody of the state.

Senators selected to serve on the panel include Sen. Dixon; Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph; Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia; Sen. Brian Nieves, R-Washington; Sen. Shalonn “Kiki” Curls, D-Kansas City; Sen. Justus; and Sen. Joseph Keaveny, D-St. Louis.

To see a complete list of committees scheduled to meet throughout the Show-Me State this week, visit www.senate.mo.gov and click on the “Senate” link under the “Hearings” header on the right-hand side of the page.  To contact the Senate Newsroom, call (573) 751-3824 or email: newsroom@senate.mo.gov.