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Missourinet

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You are here: Home / Archives for State Rep. Robert Sauls

St. Louis Police residency requirement legislation heading to Missouri House floor

August 17, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that eliminates the residency requirement for St. Louis Police officers has been approved by the Missouri House Judiciary Committee. Monday afternoon’s vote was 12-4.

State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, testifies before the Missouri House Judiciary Committee on August 17, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The bill is a key part of Governor Mike Parson’s special session call on violent crime.

State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, the bill sponsor, presented his bill and testified before the committee on Monday. Hicks tells State Rep. Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis, that improving public safety in St. Louis will help the entire state.

“This is a statewide thing,” Hicks testifies.

“St. Louis is our economic hub, and we have a crime problem,” Hill tells Hicks. “And we’ve identified that policemen that are being forced to live in there are making decisions to move out so that their families can feel safer.”

House Bill 46 was amended during the hearing. It now also eliminates the residency requirements for St. Louis firefighters and EMS personnel, and has a three-year sunset clause.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden traveled to Jefferson City to testify for the Hicks bill, saying his department is more than 100 officers short. Chief Hayden tells state lawmakers that St. Louis has had 169 homicides this year, compared to 125 at this time last year.

“As of today, (the) St. Louis Police Department is down 143 officers from its authorized strength. We continue to be challenged by meeting the demands of this ongoing gun violence, continuous demonstrations. Our officers have had to endure 12-hour shifts,” Hayden says.

Chief Hayden says there were 53 St. Louis homicides in July, and 16 so far in August.

He also says six St. Louis police officers have been shot in the past few months, and that retired Police Captain Dorn was shot and killed.

Advocacy group “Empower Missouri” testified against the bill. Former State Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford, D-St. Louis, is the organization’s policy director. She says when officers live in communities and know their neighbors, they can create partnerships and strategies for reducing crime and unhealthy living conditions.

Mott Oxford testifies that Empower Missouri would rather see more investment in St. Louis schools.

“And the solution is for us to invest in communities, so that we all have safe communities and good schools,” says Mott Oxford.

Oxford also notes St. Louis residents will be casting ballots in November, on residency requirements. She says Missouri lawmakers should recognize the right of St. Louis City to govern itself.

Chief Hayden has testified that the residency requirement is the greatest challenge that his department has with recruitment and retention.

The four no votes were from Democrats: State Reps. Gina Mitten, D-Richmond Heights, Ian Mackey, D-St. Louis, Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, and Robert Sauls, D-Independence.

The Judiciary Committee also unanimously approved two other crime bills on Monday.

The committee voted 17-0 for witness protection legislation from State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit. It would create a pretrial witness protection services fund, to be administered by the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) to law enforcement agencies. The money would be used to provide security to witnesses, potential witnesses and their immediate families in criminal proceedings or investigations.

The Judiciary Committee also voted 17-0 to approve legislation from State Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Cape Girardeau, that increases penalties for witness and victim tampering.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, Education, Health / Medicine, Legislature, News Tagged With: Dardenne Prairie, Empower Missouri, Former State Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford, Missouri House Judiciary Committee, St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden, St. Louis Police residency requirement, State Rep. Barry Hovis, State Rep. Gina Mitten, State Rep. Ian Mackey, State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, State Rep. Justin Hill, State Rep. Robert Sauls, State Rep. Ron Hicks, State Rep. Steven Roberts

Missouri Democratic lawmakers heading to GM Fairfax picket line Friday morning

September 19, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

At least seven Missouri Democratic state lawmakers will be joining striking autoworkers on the General Motors (GM) picket line Friday morning in Kansas City, Kansas.

State Rep. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on February 11, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The massive 572-acre GM Fairfax Assembly and Stamping Plant is minutes away from downtown Kansas City, and makes the Cadillac XT4 and the Chevrolet Malibu.

Friday is day five of the nationwide United Auto Workers (UAW) strike, which impacts about 2,400 workers at the GM Fairfax plant.

Negotiations continue between the two sides, and GM released a video statement on Monday.

State Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, and at least six Missouri Democratic state representatives from the Kansas City region will join striking autoworkers on the picket line Friday morning at 11, as Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) did Thursday.

Senator Arthur’s office tells Missourinet she’ll be joined by State Reps. Jon Carpenter, D-Kansas City, Mark Ellebracht, D-Liberty, Wes Rogers, D-Kansas City, Matt Sain, D-Kansas City, Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, and Robert Sauls, D-Independence.

Arthur says UAW members helped GM achieve record-level profits this past year. She says the strike is for fair wages and for affordable health care.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Business, Health / Medicine, Legislature, News, Transportation Tagged With: General Motors, GM Fairfax plant, State Rep. Barbara Washington, State Rep. Jon Carpenter, State Rep. Mark Ellebracht, State Rep. Matt Sain, State Rep. Robert Sauls, State Rep. Wes Rogers, State Sen. Lauren Arthur, UAW strike



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