Serving in the Missouri General Assembly since 2007
Legislative Column for the Week of May 28, 2018

Sen. Curls' Biography
Sen. Shalonn "Kiki" Curls, a Democrat, represents part of Jackson County (District 9) in the Missouri Senate. After serving in the Missouri House since 2007, she won a special election to the Missouri Senate in February 2011. Sen. Curls won re-election to the Senate in 2012 and again in 2016. <<more

Capitol Office
201 W. Capitol Ave.
Room 434
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 751-3158


District Office
4609 Paseo Blvd.
Suite 102
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 923-6000

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Greetings,

On May 18, the Missouri General Assembly officially concluded the 2018 legislative session, which began in January. In the last few weeks of session, the Senate and House of Representatives managed to pass a number of bills, some of which I support and some with which I disagree. Bills approved by both chambers of the General Assembly will be sent to the governor’s desk for his consideration. If he chooses to veto a bill, it then heads back to the legislature, which can choose to override the veto with a two-thirds vote of both chambers during the annual veto session in September.

I am happy to report that one of the bills I sponsored, Senate Bill 954, received final approval from the legislature on the last day of session — just in time! This proposal would change the law so that those found guilty of an unlawful use of a weapon by carrying a concealed weapon prior to Jan. 1, 2017, when constitutional-carry provisions went into effect in Missouri, can apply for expungement of that infraction from their criminal record. It’s only fair for us to treat all like cases equally; if we’re going to allow constitutional-carry in our state, it should be backdated to apply to past cases, as well. Although I personally do not support constitutional-carry policies, I do support consistent application of the law.

Two other measures I championed, in partnership with two of my House colleagues, were also passed by the General Assembly. One of those bills, House Bill 1517, requires the attorney general and the commissioner of administration to submit monthly reports to the General Assembly of all settlements and judgments paid from the state legal expense fund. This measure will help increase government accountability in the use of taxpayer funds.

The second of those bills, House Bill 1625, establishes the Missouri Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. As I have written before, this program would provide low-income seniors with vouchers they can use to purchase farm-fresh food at local markets and roadside stands. Not only does this encourage healthy eating, but it also boosts the business of our state’s hardworking farmers. There’s a reason this bill received broad, bipartisan support — it’s a win for everyone involved.

On a less positive note, a few proposals I disagree with also managed to pass through the General Assembly during the final days of session. One of those measures, Senate Concurrent Resolution 49, will move the date of a referendum on previously approved right-to-work legislation from the November ballot to the August ballot. This is a political move, pure and simple. Supporters of right-to-work, the anti-labor union law passed by the General Assembly last year, know more people turn up to vote in the November general election than in the August primaries. By moving the referendum to overturn right-to-work, they hope to protect their legislation from the will of the people.

But I have faith that, no matter when the referendum is held, motivated labor supporters will turn out to see this harmful legislation repealed. After all, labor supporters managed to gather over 300,000 signatures on their petition to call the referendum on repealing right-to-work, while an opposing petition to install right-to-work in the Missouri Constitution, funded by wealthy donors, didn’t even manage to collect the minimum number of signatures required to make the ballot. In the end, democracy will work the way it should.

Below, you will find a chart tracking the final status of every bill I sponsored during the 2018 legislative session. These proposals are important to Missourians of all backgrounds, and I enjoyed discussing the merits of each and every one of them as they made their way through the legislative process.

Sen. Curls’ Sponsored Legislation for 2018

Bill Number

Description

Status

Senate Bill 779 Modifies provisions of law relating to long-term care certificates of need. Hearing conducted in Senate Health and Pensions Committee.
Senate Bill 780 Allows certain people to enter abandoned property to secure it, remove trash and graffiti and maintain the grounds, and provides immunity from civil and criminal liability. Truly agreed to and finally passed as an amendment to House Bill 2562.
Senate Bill 781 Establishes notice procedures for potential adverse action against a State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts licensee who is delinquent on state taxes or has failed to file state income tax returns in the last three years. Second read and referred to Senate Professional Registration Committee.
Senate Bill 787 Establishes the Missouri Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. Truly agreed to and finally passed as House Bill 1625.
Senate Bill 855 Requires the State Board of Education to assign classification designations to charter schools in the same manner as school districts are assigned such designations. Second read and referred to Senate Education Committee.
Senate Bill 856 Modifies provisions relating to the Public School Retirement System of Kansas City. Truly agreed to and finally passed as an amendment to Senate Bill 892.
Senate Bill 857 Modifies provisions of law relating to the placement of children. Second read and referred to Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.
Senate Bill 858 Modifies provisions of law relating to investigations of child abuse or neglect. Truly agreed to and finally passed as an amendment to Senate Bill 819.
Senate Bill 930 Modifies provisions of law relating to guardians ad litem. Second read and referred to Senate Seniors, Families and Children Committee.
Senate Bill 954 Allows individuals found guilty of certain offenses of unlawful use of a weapon to expunge records relating to such offense. Truly agreed to and finally passed.
Senate Bill 965 Modifies provisions relating to the "Hand-Up Program" and child care subsidies. Voted do pass by Senate Seniors, Families and Children Committee.
Senate Bill 1029 Modifies provisions relating to county assessment costs. Second read and referred to Senate Local Government and Elections Committee.
Senate Bill 1030 Increases the Jackson County collection fee on delinquent and back taxes from 3 to 5 percent. Second read and referred to Senate Local Government and Elections Committee.
Senate Bill 1031 Provides the Jackson County recorder of deeds may collect a $2 fee on the recording of documents and instruments. Second read and referred to Senate Local Government and Elections Committee.
Senate Bill 1076 Requires children under 2 years of age to be secured in rear-facing child passenger restraint systems. Second read and referred to Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 45 Designates the third week of every June as Pollinator Week. Second read and referred to Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee.
Senate Joint Resolution 32 Requires certain statewide elected officials, members of the General Assembly, and judges to receive cost-of-living adjustments if such adjustments are provided to all state employees. Second read and referred to Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee.
House Bill 1517 (Senate Sponsor) Requires the attorney general and the commissioner of administration to submit to the General Assembly a monthly report of all settlements paid from the State Legal Expense Fund. Truly agreed to and finally passed.
House Bill 1625 (Senate Sponsor) Establishes the Missouri Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. Truly agreed to and finally passed.

In addition to the above bills, I was successful in getting language pertaining to school transportation truly agreed to and finally passed as an amendment to House Bill 1606. This language allows Kansas City Public Schools to contract with any municipality, bi-state agency or other governmental entity to transport students to and from school. I believe this will make it easier for our schools to get students where they need to be, safe and on time. It will also grant school districts the flexibility they need to choose the transportation services that make the most sense for their specific neighborhoods.

I also managed to pass pay raises for several positions in the Kansas City Police Department. This language was truly agreed to and finally passed as an amendment to House Bill 2562 — the same bill my “good neighbor” legislation, Senate Bill 780, was attached to. Under the new language, the base salary for many KCPD employees, including lieutenant colonels, majors, captains, sergeants, master patrol officers, master detectives and detectives, will rise by several thousand dollars each. Our fine police force should be rewarded for its hard work in keeping our city safe. I’m truly happy to see these dedicated workers get the raises they deserve.

Please know I value your input, and I invite you to visit my Capitol office if you are ever in Jefferson City. You may access my Senate website at senate.mo.gov/curls.

<< May 14, 2018

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