Missouri Politics Shift with Police Takeover, Abortion Access, and Legal Maneuvers
After about a dozen years under local control, the state would again assume authority over the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department – but still require city taxpayers to pay the bills despite not having a say over how the department operates – under legislation the Missouri House of Representatives advanced to the Senate on Feb. 20 by a vote of 100-47, with six lawmakers voting “present.”
The state’s first takeover of the St. Louis police occurred at the outset of the Civil War as Missouri’s secessionist governor sought to limit the power of pro-Union city officials and suppress the city’s Black population. Although the Civil War ended, state control remained until 63.9% of Missouri voters approved a statewide ballot measure in November 2012 that put local officials in charge of the department.
Supporters of state control say it would stem violent crime. Opponents of the bill noted violent crime has increased throughout Missouri after the majority repeatedly weakened the state’s gun laws over the last decade-plus.
House Bill 495 also contains numerous other provisions relating to public safety, include several criminalizing protests and civil disobedience in possible violation of the First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly.
One particularly broad provision would make it a felony crime of “rioting” for a group of seven or more people to assemble and violate “any of the criminal laws of this state or the United States.” One state representative noted during debate that seven or more teenagers who gathered in a field to drink beer would be guilty of felony rioting under that wording.
Circuit judge authorizes resumption of abortions in state
A Jackson County Circuit Court judge on Feb. 14 cleared abortions to resume in Missouri, ruling that an onerous licensing requirement targeting abortion providers runs afoul of the reproductive rights provisions voters added to the state constitution in November.
After the new constitutional protections, ratified as Amendment 3, took effect Dec. 5, reproductive rights supporters immediately filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of myriad abortion restrictions enacted into state law over the decades, including a near total ban on abortions that had been in effect since June 2022.
The circuit judge issued an injunction blocking enforcement of the statutory ban and numerous other restrictions on Dec. 20, finding them in violation of Amendment 3. However, she initially left in place one law that requires abortion facilities – but not other outpatient providers – to be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers. That costly requirement led to the closure of all but one Missouri abortion clinic years before the state enacted its total ban.
As result, abortions remained on hold in Missouri. In a follow up order issued Feb. 14, the judge reconsidered her previous decision and blocked enforcement of the licensing requirement, finding it “facially discriminatory because it does not treat services provided in abortion facilities the same as other types of similarly situated health care, including miscarriage care.”
The Missouri attorney general is expected to appeal the ruling to the Missouri Supreme Court. The case is Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains v. State of Missouri.
House votes to shield Bayer from Roundup lawsuits
The House of Representatives voted 85-72 on Feb. 21 in favor of legislation designed to shield Bayer, a German corporation whose U.S. headquarters is located in Creve Coeur, from lawsuits over the company’s Roundup weedkiller.
More than 25,000 lawsuits have been filed in the Cole County Circuit Court alleging the product’s main chemical – glyphosate – causes cancer. In recent years, Bayer has paid at least $10 billion in jury awards and settlements nationwide in Roundup cases, according to the Missouri Independent.
Supporters of House Bill 544 said it would protect the use of any herbicide that is essential to agricultural production and has been widely applied for decades. Opponents said it would block Missourians harmed by the product from pursuing their claims in court.
On the same day, the House also passed separate legislation, House Bill 68, that would reduce the deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit from the current five years to just two years, while doubling the deadline for filing cases alleging childhood sexual abuse from 10 years to 20 years. The bill passed on a vote of 92-42, with 24 lawmakers voting “present.” Both HB 544 and HB 68 now advance to the Senate.
#PoliceReform #MissouriPolitics #LegalUpdates
