(6) Provide information regarding available resources to assist with compliance costs and to support potential communication access service providers in underserved areas;

(7) Conduct outreach activities for urban or rural residents and communication access service providers to expand awareness and capacity in underserved areas;

SS #2 SCS HCS HB 1840 3 (8) Subject to appropriation, administer scholarships for professional development, internships, and certification testing;

(9) Subject to appropriation and pursuant to rules promulgated under this section, administer and finance requests for communication access services between agencies and businesses and individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing;

(10) Hire a program manager to serve at the pleasure of the director of the commission.

The program manager shall have a background and experience in communication access services.

The salary for the program manager shall be paid out of the fund established in subsection 3 of this section;

and (11) Submit an annual report to the governor and the general assembly that includes information on communication access service utilization, registry effectiveness, funding outcomes, and recommendations for improvement.

3.

(1) There is hereby created in the state treasury the "Communication Access Services Fund", which shall consist of moneys appropriated to the fund and any gifts, donations, grants, and bequests from individuals, private organizations, foundations, or other sources for the purpose of administering the program established in this section.

The state treasurer shall be the custodian of the fund.

In accordance with sections 30.170 and 30.180, the state treasurer may approve disbursements.

The fund shall be a dedicated fund and, upon appropriation, moneys in the fund shall be used by the commission for the salary of the program manager, distribution of financial assistance for communication access services, and distribution of scholarships under this section.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080 to the contrary, any moneys remaining in the fund at the end of the biennium shall not revert to the credit of the general revenue fund.

(3) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the fund in the same manner as other funds are invested.

Any interest and moneys earned on such investments shall be credited to the fund.

4.

The commission shall promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section, including the process for distributing scholarships under subdivision (8) of subsection 2 of this section and determining eligibility for financial assistance under subdivision (9) of subsection 2 of this section.

Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028.

This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are SS #2 SCS HCS HB 1840 4 subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void.

301.287.

1.

This section shall be known and referred to as "Mason's Law".

2.

Beginning January 1, 2027, a resident of this state with a health condition or disability that limits or impairs the ability to effectively communicate with law enforcement may, at any time, apply to the department of revenue for a designation that shall be associated with the person's motor vehicle license plate number and available to law enforcement under the Missouri uniform law enforcement system (MULES) established under chapter 43.

3.

The initial application, which shall be on a form prescribed by the department and made available on the department's website, shall by signed by a physician licensed under chapter 334, or a psychologist licensed under chapter 337, certifying that:

(1) The applicant or the applicant's child, parent, or spouse has a physical or mental health condition that is likely to impair the ability to effectively communicate with law enforcement;

and (2) The physician or psychologist has determined that the applicant or the applicant's child, parent, or spouse will have the communication impairment for at least five years.

4.

Upon submission of an application and approval by the department, the department shall notify the Missouri state highway patrol of the resident's approved application and the highway patrol shall prepare an entry in the Missouri uniform law enforcement system (MULES) that indicates that the applicant or the applicant's child, parent, or spouse has a physical or mental health condition that may impair the ability to effectively communicate with law enforcement.

Such entry shall remain active for a period of five years, unless the applicant requests that such designation be removed from the system.

Upon expiration of the five-year period, the designation in MULES may be reactivated upon the filing of a renewal form with the department signed by a physician licensed under chapter 334, or a psychologist licensed under chapter 337, certifying that:

(1) The applicant or the applicant's child, parent, or spouse has a physical or mental health condition that is likely to impair the ability to effectively communicate with law enforcement;

and (2) The physician or psychologist has determined that the applicant or the applicant's child, parent, or spouse will have the communication impairment for at least five years.

SS #2 SCS HCS HB 1840 5 5.

The department of public safety shall issue guidance and education materials to all law enforcement agencies in this state to promote awareness of the designation established under this section.

6.

The department of revenue may promulgate all necessary rules and regulations for the administration of this section.

Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028.

This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void.

650.535.

1.

This section shall be known and may be cited as "RJ's Law".

2.

There is hereby created within the department of public safety a statewide program called the "Purple Alert System" to aid in the identification and location, through immediate and effective community and emergency response, of missing persons with developmental disabilities whose disappearance poses a credible threat of immediate danger or serious bodily harm to the missing persons and who are believed to be unable to return to safety without assistance.

3.

For purposes of this section, "developmental disability" includes the following:

(1) A mental or cognitive disability, which shall not include, for persons sixty years of age or older, Alzheimer's disease or a dementia-related disorder;

(2) An intellectual disability;

(3) A brain injury;

(4) Other physical, mental, or emotional disabilities that are not related to substance abuse;

or (5) Any combination of such conditions.

4.

Before July 1, 2027, the department of public safety, in cooperation with the Missouri state highway patrol, department of transportation, department of mental health, local developmental disability resource boards, the state lottery, and local law enforcement agencies shall:

(1) Develop a training program and alert system for missing persons who have developmental disabilities that is compatible with existing alert systems in the state.

The training program shall implement crisis intervention team training to equip law enforcement officers with the skills necessary to understand developmental disabilities, to de-escalate interactions with persons in crisis, to facilitate appropriate interventions, SS #2 SCS HCS HB 1840 6 and to respond effectively to a reported missing person emergency when the person has a developmental disability;

(2) Establish policies and procedures for responding to a reported missing person emergency when the person has a developmental disability.

The policies shall, at a minimum, provide for the following:

(a) Immediate and widespread dissemination of critical information when a person who has a developmental disability is reported missing;

(b) Enhancement of emergency response teams' competence by informing them of the unique behaviors and needs of persons with developmental disabilities;

and (c) Measures to increase public awareness and understanding of the risks associated with developmental disability-related elopement to foster community support for persons with developmental disabilities;

and (3) Require a law enforcement agency to do the following, at a minimum, upon receiving a report:

(a) Contact media outlets in the affected area or surrounding jurisdictions;

(b) Inform all on-duty law enforcement officers of the reported missing person with a developmental disability;

and (c) Communicate the report to all other law enforcement agencies in the counties surrounding the county in which the report is filed.

5.

The department of public safety shall administer and promulgate rules for the implementation of the alert system established under this section.

Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028.

This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void.

Section B.

The enactment of section 301.287 of this act shall take effect as soon as technologically possible following the development and maintenance of a modernized, integrated system for the titling of vehicles, issuance and renewal of vehicle registrations, issuance and renewal of driver's licenses and identification cards, and perfection and release of liens and encumbrances on vehicles, to be funded by the motor vehicle administration technology fund as created in section 301.558.

Following the development of the system, the SS #2 SCS HCS HB 1840 7 director of the department of revenue shall notify the governor, the secretary of state, and the revisor of statutes, and shall implement the provisions of section 301.287 of this act.