Legislation filed on our behalf, Senate Bill 881 Sponsored by Senator Dan Brown from the Rolla area, would create a hazardous pay for corrections officers. If passed it, would begin in January 2017 and give corrections officers an additional seventy five dollars per month for hazardous duty above their normal salaries. Again in January 2018, there would be an additional seventy five dollars per month for a total of one hundred fifty dollars for hazardous duty pay.

The same bill is sponsored in the House by Representative John McCaherty on our behalf. It is HB 2283.

Please take time to e-mail these legislators a thank you for sponsoring this legislation on your behalf and contact your legislators asking for their support on this legislation.

Other legislation of interest is HB 1432, Sponsored by Representative Rob Vescovo, that would require the department when putting an employee on Admin leave to notify the employee within three days, in detail, why they are being placed on such leave as well as requires the department to complete their investigation within thirty days. Then they would be required to hold a hearing on the issue to determine the outcome. Often employees are on extended admin leave not knowing what they are being investigated for. This would create an employee right that corrections officers have not had in the past. We will be supporting this legislation.

HB 2037, filed by Representative Higdon from the St. Joseph area, would attach a fee to court cases that would be returned to the state and used to help fund corrections officers salaries. We will be lobbying for this legislation to pass.

As session continues we will update you with information concerning our issues.

Thanks: Gary Gross MOCOA Director