HOUSE BILL NO. 1596 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE REUTER.
3222H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT To repeal section 227.299, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to bridge or highway designations on the state highway system.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 227.299, RSMo, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu 2 thereof, to be known as section 227.299, to read as follows: 227.299. 1. Except as provided in subsection 7 of this section, an organization or 2 person that seeks a bridge or highway designation on the state highway system to honor an 3 event, place, organization, or person who has been deceased for more than two years shall 4 petition the department of transportation by submitting the following: 5 (1) An application in a form prescribed by the director, describing the bridge or 6 segment of highway for which designation is sought and the proposed name of the bridge or 7 relevant portion of highway. The application shall include the name of at least one current 8 member of the general assembly who will sponsor the bridge or highway designation. The 9 application may contain written testimony for support of the bridge or highway designation; 10 (2) A list of at least one hundred signatures of individuals who support the naming of 11 the bridge or highway; and 12 (3) A fee to be determined by the commission, [to cover the costs of constructing and 13 maintaining the proposed signs. The fee shall] not to exceed the cost of [constructing and 14 maintaining] the materials needed to construct each sign. 15 2. All moneys received by the department of transportation for the construction [and 16 maintenance] of bridge or highway signs on the state highway system shall be deposited in 17 the state treasury to the credit of the state road fund.
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language. HB 1596 2
18 3. The documents and fees required under this section shall be submitted to the 19 department of transportation no later than November first prior to the next regular session of 20 the general assembly to be approved or denied by the joint committee on transportation 21 oversight during such legislative session. 22 4. The department of transportation shall give notice of any proposed bridge or 23 highway designation on the state highway system in a manner reasonably calculated to advise 24 the public of such proposal. Reasonable notice shall include posting the proposal for the 25 designation on the department's official public website, and making available copies of the 26 sign designation application to any representative of the news media or public upon request 27 and posting the application on a bulletin board or other prominent public place which is easily 28 accessible to the public and clearly designated for that purpose at the principal office. 29 5. If the memorial highway designation requested by the organization is not approved 30 by the joint committee on transportation oversight, ninety-seven percent of the application fee 31 shall be refunded to the requesting organization. 32 6. Two highway signs shall be erected for each bridge and highway designation on 33 the state highway system processed under this section. When a named section of a highway 34 crosses two or more county lines, consideration shall be given by the department of 35 transportation to allow additional signage at the county lines or major intersections. 36 7. Highway or bridge designations on the state highway system honoring fallen law 37 enforcement officers, members of the Armed Forces killed in the line of duty, Missouri 38 recipients of the medal of honor, emergency personnel killed while performing duties relating 39 to their employment, or state employees killed while serving the state shall not be subject to 40 the provisions of subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection 1 of this section. 41 8. No bridge or portion of a highway on the state highway system may be named or 42 designated after more than one event, place, organization, or person. Each event, place, 43 organization, or person shall only be eligible for one bridge or highway designation. 44 9. Any highway signs erected for any bridge or highway designation on the state 45 highway system under the provisions of this section shall be erected and maintained for a 46 twenty-year period. After such period, the signs shall be subject to removal by the 47 department of transportation and the bridge or highway may be designated to honor events, 48 places, organizations, or persons other than the current designee. An existing highway or 49 bridge designation processed under the provisions of this section may be retained for 50 additional twenty-year increments if, at least one year before the designation's expiration, an 51 application to the department of transportation is made to retain the designation along with 52 the required documents and all applicable fees required under this section. HB 1596 3
53 10. For persons honored with designations on the state highway system under this 54 chapter after August 28, 2021, the department of transportation shall post a link on its website 55 to biographical information of such persons. 56 11. The provisions of this section shall apply to bridge or highway designations 57 sought after August 28, 2006. ✔
Statutes affected: