2018 Legislation

SB 817/HB 1945

Sponsor: Senator Munzlinger & Rep. Anderson

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

This bill would effectively eliminate the disposition process for abused and neglected animals and allow the animals to remain in the hands of their abusers until the conclusion of a criminal trial. It also eliminates the authority of animal control officers from rescuing abused and neglected animals.

HB 1418

Sponsor: Rep. Burnett

Alliance Position: Supported

Status: Failed

This bill increases the penalty for animal abuse from a Class A Misdemeanor to a Class E Felony.

HB 1907

Sponsor: Rep. Spencer

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

This legislation would have allowed numerous abusive practices to be inflicted upon working animals and permitted cruel animal activities such as horse tripping. It would have denied proper housing and care of working animals and animals in entertainment. It would have also jeopardized all local ordinances including zoning ordinances on dog breeding facilities. This bill would have also allowed carriage horses to operate without any oversight and be subjected to uncountable abuses.

SB 918

Sponsor: Senator Munzlinger

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

This legislation would have allowed numerous abusive practices to be inflicted upon working animals and permitted cruel animal activities such as horse tripping. It would have denied proper housing and care of working animals and animals in entertainment. It would have also jeopardized all local ordinances including zoning ordinances on dog breeding facilities. This bill would have also allowed carriage horses to operate without any oversight and be subjected to uncountable abuses.

HB 2374

Sponsor: Rep. Gregory

Alliance Position: Supported

Status: Failed

This bill would have afforded protection to animals in domestic abuse cases. Household pets often become pawns in the game of power and control that batterers use to coerce, control, and intimidate their victims. In a nationwide study, 76% of battered women reported that their abusers had harmed, killed, or threatened their animals.

HB 2359

Sponsor: Rep. Sommer

Alliance Position: Supported

Status: Failed

This bill would have allowed the Court to order psychological or psychiatric evaluation and treatment for individuals who abuse animals. It also provided immunity to any person, including a veterinarian, teacher, and school personnel, who reports animal abuse to a law enforcement agency.

HB 1828

Sponsor: Rep. Houghton

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

This bill would usurp the right of animal welfare organizations to advocate for animals and to educate law enforcement on animal cruelty and neglect laws. Among other things, this bill placed the Department of Agriculture in charge of all animal welfare groups in reference to the training they perform regarding the Animal Care Facilities Act (ACFA) and the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act for law enforcement personnel. This bill would give the state veterinarian authority over training performed by animal welfare organizations on laws protecting animals in puppy mills. This is an attempt to prevent law enforcement from being educated on our laws to protect animals. It would allow for regulations to be implemented that would allow "state monitors" in classrooms across the state to control how animal welfare groups advocate for animals. This is government overreach at its worst.

HCB 16

Sponsor: Rep. Houghton

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

This was an omnibus bill that contained language from HB 1828. It also contained language that sought to restrict the marketing of plant based and cultured grown meat.

HB 1355

Original Sponsor: Representative Phillips - later handled by Senator Schatz  

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

This bill would usurp the right of animal welfare organizations to advocate for animals and to educate law enforcement on animal cruelty and neglect laws. Representative Phillip's legislation concerned an issue with retired police officers. After passing the House of Representatives, his bill was then amended into an Omnibus Crime Bill by Senator Schatz. Among other bills, Senator Schatz amended onto HB 1355 the language that was in HB 1828 which would regulate how animal welfare organizations advocate for animals with law enforcement agencies. This bill would give the state veterinarian authority over training performed by animal welfare organizations on laws protecting animals in puppy mills. This is an attempt to prevent law enforcement from being educated on our laws to protect animals. It would allow for regulations to be implemented that would allow "state monitors" in classrooms across the state to control how animal welfare groups advocate for animals. This is government overreach at its worst.

SB 797/SB 662

Sponsor: Senator Munzlinger

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

Among other things, this bill placed the Department of Agriculture in charge of all animal welfare groups in reference to the training they perform regarding the Animal Care Facilities Act (ACFA) and the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act for law enforcement personnel. This bill would give the state veterinarian authority over training performed by animal welfare organizations on laws protecting animals in puppy mills. This is an attempt to prevent law enforcement from being educated on our laws to protect animals. It would allow for regulations to be implemented that would allow "state monitors" in classrooms across the state to control how animal welfare groups advocate for animals. This is government overreach at its worst.

HB 1615

Sponsor: Rep. Reiboldt

Alliance Position: Supported

Status: Failed

This bill allowed animal control officers to rescue dogs running at large and created penalties for allowing a dog to run at large if such animal injured itself, another animal, or damaged property. This is critical for counties that do not have local animal control ordinances.

HB 1398

Sponsor: Rep. DeGroot

Alliance Position: Supported with Amendment

Status: Failed

This bill would nullify all ordinances and policies that are breed specific, including mandatory spay/neuter ordinances in Springfield and Kansas City that have dramatically reduced impoundment of pit bulls in these two municipalities. The Alliance is seeking an amendment to allow municipalities to regulate the breeding of dogs.

HB 1286

Sponsor: Rep. Engler

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Failed

This bill would have prohibited lawsuits against factory farms for air, water, and waste pollution. This provision was successfully amended out of the legislation.

HB 1480

Sponsor: Rep. Love

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

Missouri is one of the few Midwestern states that still allows County Commissioners and County Health Boards to regulate CAFOs (factory farms). In fact, all 8 states contiguous to Missouri prohibit local control of CAFOs. As a result, large corporate agricultural entities have poured more money into the coffers of Missouri state legislators than any other state legislature in the country. Subsequently, this legislation was introduced to deny counties the authority to regulate CAFOs. Missouri has become Ground Zero for corporate agriculture. An identical bill passed the House of Representatives last session (2017). 

HB 1614

Sponsor: Rep. Reiboldt 

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

This bill prohibited county commissioners and county health boards from regulating the disposal of waste from factory farms. This legislation, if passed, would have resulted in the pollution of streams, waterways, as well as neighboring public and private property. 

HB 1850

Sponsor: Rep. McCreery

Alliance Position: Supported

Status: Failed

This bill would have increased membership in the Clean Water Commission in order to provide better oversight of factory farms. 

HB 1973

Sponsor: Rep. Wiemann 

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Failed

This bill would have allowed factory farms to place, cause, or permit to be placed, any water contaminant such as manure in a location where it is reasonably certain to cause pollution of any waters of the state.

SB 823

Sponsor: Senator Schatz

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Defeated

This bill would have allowed factory farms to place, cause, or permit to be placed, any water contaminant such as manure in a location where it is reasonably certain to cause pollution of any waters of the state.

SB 782

Sponsor: Senator Cunningham

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Amended

This was an omnibus bill that contained the same language as SB 823. Amended to diminish pollution by factory farms.

HB 627

Sponsor: Senator Munzlinger

Alliance Position: Opposed

Status: Amended

This bill contained the same language as HB 1614 which prohibited county commissioners and county health boards from regulating the disposal of waste from factory farms. Amended to preserve all current regulations on factory farms and to allow future efforts to minimize pollution from factory farms.

HB 1649

Sponsor: Rep. Cornejo

Alliance Position: Supported

Status: Failed

This bill increased the penalty for assaulting a law enforcement animal to a Class A Misdemeanor.

SB 716/HB 716

Sponsor: Senator Eigel & Rep. Brattin

Alliance Position: Supported

Status: Failed

This bill increased the penalty for assaulting a law enforcement animal to a Class A Misdemeanor.