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Covering state lawmakers, bills, and policy emerging from Jefferson City.

Missouri lawmakers send first bill of 2018 to Greitens

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, handled the measure in the upper chamber.
File photo I Jason Rosenbaum I St. Louis Public Radio
Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, handled the measure in the upper chamber.

Legislation designed to combat human trafficking in Missouri is on its way to Gov. Eric Greitens.

The bill would require airports, bus and train stations, hospital emergency rooms, strip clubs, and any business with prior citations for prostitution to display posters that contain a national hotline number. Republican Bob Onder of Lake St. Louis sposoned the bill in the Senate. 

“This bill will allow victims of human trafficking to get the information they need to escape the hellish human existence created for them by those who would exploit them for profit,” he said.

The bill passed the Senate 31-0 Thursday, and passed the House 139-5 two weeks ago.

The posters are scheduled to go on display in March of next year. Any business required to display human trafficking posters that fails to do so will receive a written warning the first time, and then may be cited.

Tribute to Cloria Brown

Senate members also paid tribute to Rep.CloriaBrown, R-St. Louis, who is on medical leave from the Missouri House. She sponsored a similar bill last year that never made it to a vote in the Senate, and she has sponsored and championed other measures designed to combat human trafficking. She intended to sponsor it again this year, but due to her illness handed it off to Rep. Patricia Pike, R-Adrian. 

State Rep. Cloria Brown
Credit File photo I Jason Rosenbaum | St. Louis Public Radio
State Rep. Cloria Brown

Sen. Scott Sifton, D-Affton, who lives in Brown’s House district, praised Brown.

“For anybody who’s been involved in South County, or in Lemay, or in civic pursuits over these many years, it really seems to us that Rep. Brown has been seemingly everywhere and involved in seemingly everything ,” he said. “You cannot turn around … without Rep. Brown being right there.”

Sifton thanked Brown for her service and community work, “while we still can.” He said on the Senate floor “it now appears that all of our time serving together with Rep. Brown may be nearing an end.”

A staff member for Brown declined to discuss her illness.

Follow Marshall on Twitter:@MarshallGReport

Copyright 2018 St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.