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HB3138 • 2026

Requires certain police departments to establish a missing person's unit

Requires certain police departments to establish a missing person's unit

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Smith, Kem (068)
Last action
2026-05-15
Official status
05/15/2026 - Referred: Emerging Issues(H)
Effective date
2026-08-28

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires certain police departments to establish a missing person's unit

Requires certain police departments to establish a missing person's unit

What This Bill Does

  • Requires certain police departments to establish a missing person's unit

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-15 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Referred: Emerging Issues(H)

  2. 2026-02-02 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Read Second Time (H)

  3. 2026-01-29 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Introduced and Read First Time (H)

Official Summary Text

Requires certain police departments to establish a missing person's unit

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 3138
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE SMITH (68).
6918H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 85, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to missing persons.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 85, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 85.705, to read as follows:
85.705. 1. Beginning January 1, 2027, a missing persons unit shall be established
2 within any police department located in a county with mor e than one million
3 inhabitants. The unit shall pr ovide services deemed necessary to aid in the location of
4 missing persons including, but not limited to:
5 (1) Coordinating and investigating repo rts of missing persons;
6 (2) Collecting and disseminating information reg arding missing persons in order
7 to assist in locating such persons, including entry of the missing person's information
8 into the Missouri Uniform Law Enfor cement System (MULES) and the National Crime
9 Information Center (NCIC) system;
10 (3) Establishing a system for communication of information relat ing to persons
11 r eported as missing; and
12 (4) Coordinating and communicating with the Missouri state highway patrol's
13 missing persons unit established under section 43.402.
14 2. Any police department located in a county with mor e than one million
15 inhabitants may hir e additional officers and staff or may assign officers or staff
16 curr ently employed by the department to the missing persons unit. Compensation and
EXPLANA TION — 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.
17 benefits for such employees shall be paid fr om the police department's annual operating
18 budget.
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