Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City Archives

Legislation to keep sex offenders away from Missouri Department of Conservation centers has bipartisan support

March 20, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri support legislation aimed at keeping registered sex offenders away from state Conservation areas.

House Bill 1090 is sponsored by State Rep. Barry Hovis (R-Whitewater), a former law enforcement officer with more than 30 years of experience. The House Public Safety Committee approved the bill 8-0, and it’s expected to go to the Missouri House floor sometime after the spring break.

State Rep. Barry Hovis (R-Whitewater) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 3, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The bill would ban most registered sex offenders from being 500 feet from any Missouri Department of Conservation nature or education center. The Conservation Department has several of these facilities, which include the Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City and the Springfield Conservation Nature Area. Schoolchildren frequently visit Runge and the other Conservation nature and education centers.

Hovis’ bill is the same bill filed in 2020 by State Rep. Hannah Kelly (R-Mountain Grove).

Current Missouri state law bans sex offenders from being 500 feet of public parks with playground equipment, public swimming pools and children’s museums.

Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City on Monday. They’re finishing their annual spring break.

Bill would keep registered sex offenders away from Missouri conservation areas

February 9, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A southern Missouri lawmaker wants to keep sex offenders away from state Conservation areas, to protect children and families.

State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, chairs the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Conservation. Her bill will be heard Monday at noon by the House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee in Jefferson City.

House Bill 2142 is a one-page bill. It would ban registered sex offenders from nature or education centers controlled by the Missouri Department of Conservation, and sex offenders would have to stay at least 500 feet away from those areas.

Under the bill, the first violation would be a class E felony, and any subsequent violations would be a class D felony.

Kelly tells Missourinet her intent is to keep children and residents safe in and near Conservation nature and education centers. The Missouri Department of Conservation has several of these facilities. They include the Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City, the Springfield Conservation Nature Center and the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center in southeast Missouri.

Schoolchildren frequently visit Conservation nature and education centers.

State law currently bans registered sex offenders from being within 500 feet of public parks with playground equipment, public swimming pools and children’s museums.