Bills in the Missouri Legislature for March 4th, 2026

House

Bentley’s Law — A bill being considered in the Missouri Legislature would require people convicted of DWI to pay child support if their drunk driving killed the parent or parents of a child. On April 13th, 2021, David Thurby (26) was involved in a fiery crash in Jefferson County that resulted in the deaths of Cordell Williams (30), Lacey Newton (25), and Cordell Williams II (4 months). Mr. Thurby was convicted of three counts of Involuntary Manslaughter in 2023. Six other states have passed similar laws. As a result, two children are orphaned and are being raised by their grandmother.

HB 1643, 1717 — Legalizes psilocybin for mental health treatment purposes and allows it to be prescribed by licensed physicians. (Rep. Matthew Overcast, Rep. Richard West)

HB 1792 — Establishes a two-year pilot program through the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education to teach media literacy and critical thinking. DESE would select 5-7 school districts to integrate media literacy skills into classroom instruction and report back to lawmakers. Students would learn to analyze news content, recognize bias, understand digital citizenship, and identify misinformation.

HB 1905, 2097 — Authorizes the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to make an agriculture education pilot project into a statewide program. Participation by schools would be voluntary and not required. Schools would implement it at their own expense or from existing streams of funding. (Rep. John Martin, Rep. Adrian Plank)

HB 2034 — Requires the Mo HealthNet program, health carriers, and other health benefit plans to cover at least three devices for multiple uses. (Rep. Carolyn Caton)

HB 2167 — Allows Attorney General appointed investigators to make arrests and collaborate with other law enforcement agencies. Also extends the power to House and Senate security guards. Such officers would have to go through the same training any other Peace Officers go through. (Rep. Dolan David)

HB 2202 — Makes hunting and fishing permits free for military personnel and disabled veterans. Dependents would get the same benefit. (Rep. Don Mayhew)

HB 2874 — Prevents air ambulance companies from selling memberships to recipients of Medicaid. Life flights are already covered by Mo HealthNet. (Rep. Bill Allen)

HB 3362, 3364 — Requires permits for certain levels of utility use and subjects large-load customers like data centers to different payment rules. Requires large water customers which use over 2 million gallons of freshwater or 80% or more of the available water capacity of a given locality to get a permit from the DNR. Customers above the large loan threshold would be required to pay an increased rate. If permit holders far exceed the minimum use for a permit, they would be required to cover the costs to build additional infrastructure. (Rep. Collin Wellenkamp, Rep. Mike Costlow)

Senate

SB 854, 1494 — Automates record expungement for eligible nonviolent offenders. Currently, eligible defendants must petition the court. The new bill would automatically expunge certain low-level offenses after a period of one to three years. (Sen. Brian Williams, Sen. Nick Schroer)

SB 859 — Declares that AI systems are not considered people. All harm caused by an AI would be considered the responsibility of the owner or user of that system. (Sen. Mike Moon)

SB 889 — Investigators who handle cases of child abuse, elder abuse, or domestic abuse will receive training to identify signs of animal abuse under this bill. Animal control officers and others who investigate animal cruelty would be trained to recognize warning signs of abuse against people. If an investigator uncovers evidence of a different type of abuse while responding to a case, they would be required to report it. (Sen. Tracy McCreery)

SB 928 — Expands the definition of Stalking to allow police to act based on victims’ fears rather than wait until a violent or dangerous act occurs. (Sen. Patty Lewis)

SB 1012 — Requires a disclaimer for any use of AI in political advertisements. Makes it a Class A Misdemeanor if such a disclaimer is missing. (Sen. Joe Nicola)

SB 1043, 1150 — Establishes the offense of Masked Intimidation. A person can be charged if they use their face covering to conceal their identity while harassing, threatening, or intimidating another person or group. A person cannot be charged if the covering in question is used for religious, medical, celebratory, occupational, or weather-related reasons. The law cannot be construed to diminish or infringe on First Amendment rights. According to FBI statistics, 44.2% of hate crimes in Missouri in 2021 were classified as intimidation. (Sen. Barbara Washington)

SB 1094 — Modifies legal notices for all elections. County clerks would have the option of mailing a legal notice to each registered voter in the jurisdiction. If they do that, they only have to public election notices once. Currently, counties publish ballots in local papers twice. In the case of any bond election, if the election is not contested within 30 days after the official announcement of the election results, then all conditions of the state election law will be deemed to be satisfied. (Sen. Cindy Crawford)

SB 1617 — Prohibits state funds from going to “low-earning” degrees. It would apply to fields where graduates from a college do not earn more than someone with only a high school diploma in the same field. (Sen. Rick Brattin)

Federal

Homes for American Families Act. Prohibits large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, townhouses, and condominiums. Empowers the Justice Department with enforcement authority for civil violations and prioritized antitrust review for purchases of residential real estate by large institutional investors. (Sen. Josh Hawley, Sen. Jeff Merkley)

 

Connie Rush 1956-2026

Born Dec. 3, 1956, in Mount Ayr, Iowa, to Lewis M. and Dorothy L. (Lamb) Rush.  Connie passed away Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at Advanced Care in St. Joseph, Missouri.

She graduated from Lafayette High School in 1975 and was a member of Community Pres. Church.

Worked many years at TG& Y. Loved spending time with family and friends. She loved going to McDonalds with her mom. She will be passing out candy in heaven.

She was proceeded in death by parents.

She is survived by, siblings, Lewis Dean Rush (Pat), Ava Thompson, Lonnie Rush (Julie), Lori Wachtel (John), Uncle Nate Lamb, Aunt Martha (Wink) Andrews (Ron) many cousins, nieces and nephews, best friends Etta Wildberger, Pam Ousley, Carolyn Wandfluh.

Thanks so much to Mosaic hospice, especially Jason. Memorial gifts to Community Presbyterian Church.

Graveside service and burial were 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 28, 2026 at the Middle Fork Cemetery near Redding, Iowa.  Family received friends from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Community Presbyterian Church at 5409 St. Joseph Avenue, St. Joseph, Missouri.

 

Route 46 Bridge West of Grant City to Close Thursday

Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc., working with the Missouri Department of Transportation, has been contracted to replace the Marlowe Branch Creek Bridge on Worth County Missouri Route 46. The bridge is scheduled to close beginning Thursday, March 5.

Traffic Impacts: The Marlowe Branch Creek Bridge on Route 46 will be closed from March 5 through May 2026. Motorists will need to seek an alternate route during the closure.

As a part of this project, the West Fork Grand River Bridge replacement on Route W in Worth County was completed Feb. 12.

MoDOT asks drivers to work with us by always buckling up, keeping your phone down, slowing down and moving over in work zones.

When visiting modot.org, sign up online for work zone updates. Information is also available 24/7 at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or by connecting with us on social media. 

 

Trump Accounts Aim to Jump Start Retirement Savings for Children

A new type of tax-advantaged account created under recent federal tax law changes could give some children a significant head start on long-term investing, but families should understand both the opportunities and the limits before jumping in.

“Trump accounts” are available for all children under age 18 by the end of the year. For each child born in 2025-2028, the federal government will deposit $1,000 into a newly established account. The child is the account owner, even though parents and others may control the account and make additional contributions.

“These accounts are designed to encourage long-term investing from birth,” said Andrew Zumwalt, director of the University of Missouri’s Personal Financial Planning program.

No withdrawals are generally allowed until the child turns 18. Once the child reaches adulthood, the account functions much like a traditional IRA. Earnings are tax-deferred, meaning taxes are owed when money is eventually withdrawn, not while it is growing.

Families and others can contribute up to $5,000 per year to a child’s Trump account. Those contributions are considered “basis,” meaning they have already been taxed. Earnings, along with any government or employer contributions, are taxable when withdrawn.

Investments within the accounts must be placed in low-cost index funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs), a requirement intended to keep fees low and returns more predictable over time.

Accounts can be established now using IRS Form 4547 filed alongside a tax return, and additional information is available at https://trumpaccounts.gov. While the child owns the account, multiple parties may contribute. Zumwalt noted examples such as employer or family contributions. An initiative by Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, will contribute to $250 to accounts for children age 10 and under in ZIP codes where the median income is less than $150,000 per year. Zumwalt notes that this would include almost all Missouri ZIP codes.

Zumwalt shared a hypothetical example to illustrate the long-term potential. A child born in January 2025 receives the initial $1,000 government deposit. If parents contribute $5,000 annually until age 18 and the account earns an average annual return of 7%, the account would be worth nearly $170,000 at age 18. Of that total, $90,000 would be basis, with the remainder tax-deferred growth.

At adulthood, funds can be rolled into other retirement accounts. In Zumwalt’s example, the tax-deferred portion moves into an employer sponsored plan, while the basis rolls into a Roth IRA. Over decades, that early start can translate into several million dollars in retirement savings.

Trump accounts do not replace existing family tax benefits, Zumwalt noted. The child tax credit remains $2,200 for 2025 and will increase with inflation, while dependents who are not eligible for the child tax credit remain capped at a $500 credit. The child and dependent care credit for 2025 is unchanged from prior law, though the dependent care flexible spending account limit increases to $7,500 beginning in 2026.

As with any new program, Zumwalt encourages families to weigh how Trump accounts fit into their broader financial picture. “They can be powerful,” he said, “but only if families understand the rules and commit to the long-term horizon these accounts are built for. Families should consider other accounts, like 529 plans, for needs related to higher education expenses.”

Zumwalt discussed this and other changes to federal income tax law at a recent training for volunteers in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, in which IRS-certified volunteers discuss and prepare tax returns for free. For more information, visit the Missouri Taxpayer Education Initiative website at https://muext.us/motax.

 

Phillip Richmond 1940-2026

Phillip James Richmond (Phil) of Kansas City, MO passed away peacefully at his home Wednesday February 25, 2026 with his wife and son at his side following a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Phil was born November 22,1940 in Leon, IA to James B.W. Richmond & Florence Irene (Jarvis) Richmond. Phil grew up in Ringgold County Iowa, in the town of Mt. Ayr. He graduated with honors from Mt. Ayr High School in 1959.

Phil graduated from Northwest Missouri State College (now University) in Maryville, MO with a history/social studies degree. Phil was a member of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity. He would meet his wife of 62 years, Joyce Elizabeth Campbell, at Northwest. Phil received his Master’s Degree in Education from Northwest in 1966. He was proud to be a Bearcat and would support NWMSU in numerous ways for the rest of his life.

Phil would then soon become known as Mr. Richmond as a first year 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher for The St. Joseph School District at Neely Elementary in 1963. In early 1964 Mr. Richmond learned that he was transferred to Lafayette High School for the next coming school year. What would follow for the next 29 years at Lafayette High School would become truly special for Mr. Richmond.

On February 5th, 1964 in St. Joseph, MO, Phil Richmond married Joyce Elizabeth Campbell of Grant City, MO. In July of 1964, in St. Joseph, Mr. & Mrs. Richmond welcomed their son, James. 

For the next 29 school years Mr. Richmond was a teacher, coach, and administrator at Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, MO. In the early to mid 1970’s he would serve as the local leader of the Missouri State Teacher’s Association (MSTA).  Phil taught U.S. History, Government, European History, World History, American West, and Sociology. Mr. Richmond encouraged his students to be proactive problem solvers in their communities, set personal goals in life and to question things that they did not understand going on around them. Teaching young people about the democratic process was Phil’s passion. Mr. Richmond coached football, basketball, and track in the early 1960’s serving as head track coach from 1969-1972. Mr. Richmond was the school’s first ever cross-country coach from 1971-1981 and then coached the team again from 1984-1988. Mr. Richmond designed and mapped out the cross-country course through Krug Park in St. Joseph which was used by Lafayette runners for 54 years. Mr. Richmond was promoted to part-time Assistant Principal in 1974, then full-time Assistant Principal in 1975 until 1978 when he would return to the classroom. Mr. Richmond retired in 1993, moved to Kansas City, MO with wife Joyce and worked for The United States National Parks Service at the Harry S. Truman Home in Independence, MO as a tour guide for eight years. Phil loved fishing in northern Minnesota with family and friends. He loved his pets, sports, playing cards, singing, and spending time with his wife & family which would usually lead to “spirited conversations” about history or current events.

Phil was the youngest of three siblings. He was preceded in death by both of his parents, brother & sister-in-law Donald & Kathryn Richmond along with sister Patricia & brother-in-law Lawrence Jefferson Sr.  He is survived by his wife of 62 years Joyce Richmond of Kansas City, MO and son, James Richmond (Janet) of Country Club Village, MO. Also surviving are three grandchildren through marriage, Michael (Rachel) Nold, St. Joseph, MO, Kim (Adam) Roske, Smithville, MO, Tim (Haley) Nold, Savannah, MO, eight great grandchildren by marriage and his beloved dog companions Jaxson and Shelby. Phil is also survived by many of his former Lafayette students and colleagues as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. 

The family would like to thank Harbor Hospice of Kansas City for their care and support during Phil’s final months of life. The family requests no flowers at this time.  The family asks that memorial contributions be made in the name of Phil Richmond either directly to one of the following organizations or through the funeral home to one of the following organizations. The St. Joseph Foundation School Lunch Debt Relief Fund 1415 N. 26th St. Joseph, MO 64506, Pleasant Valley Baptist Church 1600 State Route 291 Liberty, MO 64060 or The Alzheimer’s Disease Research Bright Focus Foundation 22512 Gateway Center Drive Clarksburg, MD 20871. 

Mr. Richmond has been cremated under the direction of Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City, MO where service and celebration of life arrangements are currently pending.

Lady Tigers Doubled Win Total From Last Year, Won 18

Worth County was ousted by Platte Valley in the first round of districts 44-40 Tuesday, February 24th. The effort was there, but they were once again ice-cold from the field. Kristen Tracy missed a shot in the high post that would have tied it, and Worth County overextended itself trying to foul as Platte Valley cashed in at the other end as time expired.

Rylee Ruckman scored 12 points in her final game. Audrey Runde also had 12, while Megan Tracy had 6, Kristen Tracy 6, and Kambree Briner 4.

Kristen Tracy had 5 boards, as did Rylee Ruckman and Kambree Briner. Briner had 5 assists. Rylee Ruckman had 4 steals. Worth County shot better from distance than from inside the arc; they were 9 for 25 from the 3-point line to stay in the game, while they were 4 for 17 from inside the circle. They only made eight trips to the line, making five.

Worth County won 18 games for the season, the most they had since the Anna Gladstone era in 2019-2020. They started out by beating Mercer 38-30, a game that looked ugly at the time with Mercer having a long year the year before but which looked better as the season progressed with the Cards going on to win 19 games. They looked like they would dominate the area, beating Platte Valley, Stanberry, and Albany in the Albany Tournament to win it. They beat North Nodaway and NEN to run their record to 6-0, but then proceeded to drop their next three and fall out of the conference race with losses to King City and Albany.

They righted the ship with wins over Braymer, North Andrew, Stanberry again, and North Nodaway again. They fell to Stanberry, only to avenge their loss to King City at the Stanberry Tournament to take third place.

They proceeded to beat 20-win Princeton 30-27, in a game in which Briner was the only player from either squad who was hitting her shots. They trailed by 10 against North Harrison in the fourth quarter, only to come back to win 43-37. They only trailed by three to Rock Port going into the fourth before falling by 13. They put Nodaway Valley away early, then hung a season-high 62 on an improving Pattonsburg squad to run their win total to nine out of 11.

But sometimes, hitting a peak performance can be followed by a letdown, and Worth County fell to St. Joseph Christian 38-32 before falling to 23-win Mound City 46-37. They righted the ship against South Holt and looked on their way to beating East Atchison when Kambree Briner reinjured a shoulder that she had injured in softball the summer before. Without Briner in the lineup, they struggled to take care of the ball as Briner would always occupy the defense and force them to guard her, opening everyone else up. Teams could afford to be a lot more aggressive with her on the bench. They barely hung on and won against a 10-win East Atchison squad, posted a solid win against Platte Valley, but fell hard against a Maysville squad that enjoyed their best season in a while.

They got Briner back for districts, but Platte Valley has always elevated their game come district time and had girls that had not scored all year step up and score in the district game.

The Tigers lose Ruckman and Rayleigh Smith, but get back Megan Tracy, Kristen Tracy, Kambree Briner, Keira Hardy, and Audrey Runde. Kynlee Steele showed the ability to grab rebounds off the bench, while Kennedy Murphy could be a force on the boards in the future as well. Incoming freshman Brooklyn Smith is playing travel ball whenever she can and has the potential to be one of the best players the Tigers have ever produced. The goal of the Tigers will be to get more players out for basketball so they can have more depth. Platte Valley, which beat Worth County in districts, had 21 players out for basketball, while Worth County only had nine.

 

Caleb New Has 42 as Tigers Win Rubber Game of Platte Valley Series

Worth County won a wild 78-66 game over Platte Valley Thursday in district semifinals as Caleb New had a new career high of 42 points just a few games after he had an earlier career high of 40. The Tigers needed an extra period after they couldn’t close it out at the end of regulation, but made most of their free throws in the extra period to get the win.

At first, it looked like it would be the massacre of 2024, in which Platte Valley beat Worth County 79-28 in districts with many of the same players on both teams participating in that game. Everything Platte Valley threw up in the first quarter went in as they built up a 20-11 lead after the first quarter. Caleb New had 7 points in the period in a futile effort to stem the tide. At the end of the first period, Worth County only had three rebounds, and they only had two people in the scoring column offensively.

Five straight by Caleb New and a triple by Cole Ruby righted the ship in the second quarter as Worth County showed a lot of growth in that period by responding to a big quarter with one of their own. Dylan Smith got a steal and fed Brock Healy, who threw it to New for three, which knotted the game at 22.

The game was tied at 24 before Brock Healy slashed and scored, Caleb New hit a 3-pointer, Brock Healy took a charge on 6’5” behemoth Andy Mattson, Caleb New slashed and scored after Dylan Smith got an offensive board, and Hayden Sanders kept a ball alive and fed Brock Healy at the halftime buzzer to put the Tigers in front 34-24 at the half.

But then Platte Valley, which always elevates its game come district time, started coming back as Grady Gockel had a big third quarter and was joined in the scoring column by Ezra Morriss. Worth County got their fourth and fifth players in the scoring column, but their lead steadily shrunk until Dylan Klamm got a steal with 59 seconds left in the period to put Platte Valley in front 42-41. Ryder Smyser hit a free throw, drawing Grady Gockel’s fourth foul, and Caleb New hit a backdoor layup, but Worth County pulled the trigger too soon as Morriss countered with a guarded three to put Platte Valley back in front 45-44.

Platte Valley leading scorer Grady Gockel was on the bench with foul trouble, but it was Platte Valley who came out of the gate strong as Andy Mattson cashed in a lob and they also got baskets from Mason Holaday and Aiden McQueen to go up 53-50 before back to back jacks by Caleb New put the Tigers back in front 56-53. Grady Gockel came back to knot it at 56, but Brock Healy drove and scored to make it 58-56, and Ezra Morriss could only make one out of two to make it 58-57.

Hayden Sanders took a charge on defense and Brock Healy slashed and scored after a third-chance possession with 42 seconds. That made it 60-57. Ezra Morriss drove and scored with 17 seconds left, only for Brock Healy to counter with two free throws to make it 52-59 with 10.9 seconds left.

Platte Valley took it to their end and called a timeout to set up a play. They got it into Grady Gockel, and despite a defender on him, he leaped as high as he ever had in his life and drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer, forcing Worth County to win it all over again.

But Worth County was up to the task as they started piling stop after stop and cashing in on the other end. Caleb New went backdoor to score off a pass from Ryder Smyser, Brock Healy hit a free throw, and Caleb New added two to make it 67-62. Ezra Morriss countered with free throws to make it 67-64, but Ryder Smyser was hammered on a putback try and made both tries to make it 69-64. Following another stop, Platte Valley was forced to start fouling and Caleb New hit four straight at the line, Ryder Smyser got loose in transition as Platte Valley overextended trying to get the ball back, Brock Healy hit two free throws, Cole Ruby hit one, and Cole Ruby then stole the ball to seal the game.

Caleb New had 42 points for the Tigers. Brock Healy had 18, Cole Ruby 8, Hayden Sanders 5, and Brock Healy 5.