Closed-records bill has no chance to become law, state senator says

A Missouri House bill to close law-enforcement records to the public has no chance of passage in the Senate, Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, said Wednesday.

On April 28, the House passed the measure by a vote of 129-9 that would make police reports of suicide or attempted suicide closed records.

It also would close law-enforcement records if they contain “personally identifiable health information” about victims, offenders and law-enforcement officers, said the Missouri Press Association, which opposed the bill.

The measure was proposed by state Rep. Genise Montecillo, D-St. Louis, who last year drew media attention after she tried to kill herself.

State Reps. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, and Donna Lichtenegger, R-Jackson, opposed the measure, arguing the measure was too broad.

Swan said she voted against the bill because of issues raised by the press association. The bill would limit public access to reports on everything from shootings to traffic accidents, the press association said.

Lichtenegger said she sympathizes with the bill’s sponsor.

“It was hard to vote no,” she said.

But Lichtenegger said the measure would close a wide range of law-enforcement records that should be open to the public.

The bill is in the state Senate. But Wallingford predicted the bill won’t win passage before the session ends May 13.

“It is dead. It has zero chance,” he said.

Wallingford said there are almost 70 bills on the docket in front of this legislation.

The senator agreed with the assessment of local lawmakers the closed-record provisions in the bill are written too broadly. He added he generally favors open records.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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