SPONSOR: Hewkin
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Transportation by a vote of 17 to 1. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules-Administrative by a vote of 10 to 0.
Currently, the governing body of a county, city, or village can designate a street, road, or highway as a memorial road for any law enforcement officer who was killed in the line of duty. This bill allows for memorial roads to be named for emergency personnel and members of the Armed Forces in addition to law enforcement officers.
The bill also repeals several sections of law including:
(1) The requirement to maintain fingerboards at road forks and crossings;
(2) The requirement for certain people to lay down planks while crossing bridges to protect the roadway;
(3) The prohibition of any person from driving animals across a recently repaired roadway, bridge, or culvert that has not been open to traffic; and
(4) The authorization for the road district commissioners or the board of directors of a township to temporarily abandon a road to allow for the mining or removal of coal from beneath the road.
This bill is the same as HB 554 (2025).
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that removing unnecessary, antiquated laws provides clarity and cleans up Missouri Law. The coal mining provisions are not being invoked, signs cost more than the very low amount in the repealed language, the language for crossing roads and bridges isn't needed.
Testifying in person for the bill was Representative Hewkin.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill say that the road-naming portion of the bill is a continuation of the State's habit in picking winners and losers. Any worthy Missourian should be able to have roads named after them. Teachers, reverends, and the clergy are not being memorialized and their contributions are ignored. Sign prices are getting too high and many aren't actually paid for by the Department of Transportation. Testifying in person against the bill was Arnie Dienoff.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: