State Rep Dane Diehl 125 District

It was a first full week of various committee hearings, with many referred bill being heard this week. Ag policy heard its first bill which was focused on foreign land ownership. From the hearing, the key word, I believe, moving forward is BALANCE. We must protect not only our military installations, farming population, and agriculture sector as a whole, while not overstepping the boundaries of current industry partners, businesses, and future investments. Missouri’s current law caps at 1% foreign land ownership. This bill will look to move this percentage lower. The subcommittee on appropriations I sit on also met and we reviewed budgets for Natural Resources and Economic Development for fiscal year 2024. And finally, in my first committee as Vice Chair of Emerging Issues, we heard bills relating to religious freedoms and rural emergency hospitals.
As always don’t hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or concerns I thank you for your support and am honored to be your representative in Jefferson City.
House Committee Advances Initiative Petition Reform Legislation (HJR 43)
Legislation designed to protect the sanctity of the Missouri Constitution is moving quickly through the legislative process and is now on track for discussion on the House floor. House Speaker Dean Plocher and Speaker Pro Tem Mike Henderson said as early as next week the House will consider a constitutional amendment that would allow voters to change the initiative petition process.
“It’s important that we protect the right of Missouri citizens to make their voices heard while also preventing our initiative petition process from being abused by out-of-state money that has no ties to our state and no interest in working on behalf of Missouri families,” said Plocher.
He added, “Our constitution is a sacred document that should be treated with respect and amended only when absolutely necessary. By implementing commonsense reforms we can continue to give Missourians a voice but minimize the influence of special interests from outside our state.”
This week HJR 43 was approved by the House Committee on Elections and Elected Officials. If approved by the legislature and voters, the proposed constitutional amendment would change the threshold required to approve changes to the state constitution. Currently, changes to the constitution require only a simple majority for approval. HJR 43 would raise the threshold to 60 percent voter approval for passage.
Henderson, who sponsors the legislation, said, “I see the constitution as a living document but not an ever-expanding document. We have one of the largest state constitutions in the country and that’s because we keep adding and adding to it.”
He added, “Since our current constitution was written in 1945 it has changed more than 60 times. In comparison, the United States Constitution has been amended 17 times since 1791. It takes 38 states to ratify an amendment to the constitution.”
Henderson noted Missouri is currently one of only 18 states to allow initiative petitions for a constitutional change and has one of the easier processes in the country for amending the constitution.
HJR 43 was approved by the House Elections and Elected Officials Committee by a vote of 11-5. It now moves to a House Rules Committee, which must approve the bill before it moves to the floor for discussion. The committee also passed three other proposed constitutional amendments (HJR 30, HJR 24, and HJR 25) that would modify the requirements to approve constitutional amendments.
House Committees Focus on Suicide Prevention Efforts (HB 132)
Two House committees met this week to discuss ways to reduce suicide in Missouri, particularly among its veterans.
The House Veterans Committee took testimony on HB 132, which would task the Missouri Veterans Commission with expanding its efforts to prevent veteran suicide. The House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee received a report issued by the Interim Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Suicide and discussed suicide prevention methods with a focus on the importance of the 988 hotline.
The sponsor of HB 132, who also chairs the House Veterans Committee and chaired the interim committee, spoke to both committees about the importance of his bill, which would give guidance to the Missouri Veterans Commission about how to use the data it collects on veteran suicides. The bill would also require the commission to report annually to the legislature on that data and what it’s doing to reduce the number of those incidents.
He told the House Committee on Health and Mental Health Policy, “Where we rank in this in the entire country is not good.” He added that Missouri is around fourth or fifth among the states with the most veteran suicides.
He also added that even though his bill hasn’t been passed into law, the commission is already doing much of what it would require.
He said, “Their heart is in the right place and I can tell you that they get it and they’re dealing with it.”
The sponsor said his aim is not just to increase awareness about mental health and suicide in the military and veteran communities but among the population as a whole.
He emphasized the importance of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline and explained the vital service is currently not fully funded.
“The recommendation we had out of the committee was that $27-million be added to the budget to enhance and to continue the 988 program. 988 is one of the most effective tools because just in the first six months that it was used, it was used over 200,000 times. They’re estimating that in the first year it’s going to be used over one million times,” he said.
He said the 988 hotline plays a critical role because of the importance of listening to those considering suicide, whether it be when they call the hotline or in other settings.
He said, “For someone that has suicide ideation, for them to be able to step forward and say, ‘I need some help,’ that’s one of the hardest things for them to do. When they do, they need to have someone that’s going to be able to sit there and to listen to them and hear what they’ve got to say.”
Legislation similar to HB 132 passed out of the House unanimously last year but didn’t reach Governor Parson. The Veterans Committee will likely vote on it soon.
Governor Parson Establishes Master Plan on Aging
Governor Mike Parson recently signed an executive order to establish a Master Plan on Aging. The plan is designed to help reduce age and disability discrimination, eliminate barriers to safe and healthy aging, and help Missourians to age with dignity.
The governor’s office noted there are currently more than 1.1 million Missouri citizens over the age of 60. Estimates suggest that older adults will outnumber minors for the first time by 2030 and older adults will greatly outnumber minors by 2060.
Parson said, “Older Missourians have worked hard, paid their dues, and helped teach and guide the next generations of Missourians.”
He added, “We want to ensure they are able to enjoy their golden years with dignity and respect. That is why we are proposing a Master Plan on Aging. Through this plan, we will develop a 10-year framework that provides a guiding vision for policies and programs to support our senior communities.”
The Executive Order calls on the Department of Health and Senior Services, with the assistance of a new Advisory Council, to develop a Master Plan on Aging for the State of Missouri that addresses the needs and health outcomes for older adults and individuals with disabilities. The department is tasked with finalizing the Master Plan on Aging by December 31, 2025, and releasing a public report.
Parson said his administration is working to support all citizens as they age to ensure older adults and individuals with disabilities live as safely and independently as possible in the environment of their choice while fully participating in their community.
“Our administration has always prioritized job creation, strong wages, and competitive markets for all Missourians. Missouri needs to prepare for a restructured workforce that can include and serve older adults across the state,” he said.

State Representative

Please contact me at:
201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 114B
Jefferson City, MO 65101-6806
Phone: 573-751-4065
Email: Dane.Diehl@house.mo.gov