Enacts provisions relating to the Department of Transportation's fiber network

Plain English Breakdown

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

Enacts provisions relating to the Department of Transportation's fiber network

The following summaries of this bill are available: Print All Summaries Introduced Print SB 876 - This act creates the "Department of Transportation Fiber Network Expansion Act", which provides that the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission may enter into public-private partnerships with private broadband internet service providers to expand and develop the Department of Transportation's fiber network.

What This Bill Does

• The following summaries of this bill are available: Print All Summaries Introduced Print SB 876 - This act creates the "Department of Transportation Fiber Network Expansion Act", which provides that the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission may enter into public-private partnerships with private broadband internet service providers to expand and develop the Department of Transportation's fiber network.
• The Commission shall prioritize expansion and development under the act in unserved areas and underserved areas, as defined by law.
• The Commission shall use a competitive procurement process to form the public-private partnerships, including publishing notice as specified in the act.
• The Commission shall ensure that at least 25% of the workforce fulfilling the contracts awarded under this act belongs to a racial minority group.

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.

Official Summary Text

The following summaries of this bill are available:

Print All Summaries

Introduced

Print

SB 876 - This act creates the "Department of Transportation Fiber Network Expansion Act", which provides that the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission may enter into public-private partnerships with private broadband internet service providers to expand and develop the Department of Transportation's fiber network. The Commission shall prioritize expansion and development under the act in unserved areas and underserved areas, as defined by law.

The Commission shall use a competitive procurement process to form the public-private partnerships, including publishing notice as specified in the act. The Commission shall ensure that at least 25% of the workforce fulfilling the contracts awarded under this act belongs to a racial minority group. As part of a contract award under the act, the private partnering entity may use the excess fiber capacity to provide internet services, as long as the services provided meet the state minimum standard for broadband.

This act is identical to HB 2220 (2026), SB 307 (2025), SB 1323 (2024), HB 2388 (2024), SB 219 (2023), and HB 1037 (2023), similar to HB 1396 (2025) and provisions in HCS/HB 461 (2023), and identical to SB 1199 (2022) and HB 2908 (2022).
TAYLOR MIDDLETON

Current Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 876
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR MOSLEY .
3816S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 227, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the department of
transportation's fiber network.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 227, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1
one new section, to be known as section 227.675, to read as 2
follows:3
227.675. 1. The provisions of this section shall be 1
known and may be cited as the "Department of Transportation 2
Fiber Network Expansion Act". 3
2. For purposes of this section, the following terms 4
mean: 5
(1) "Commission", the Missouri highways and 6
transportation commission; 7
(2) "Department", the Missouri department of 8
transportation. 9
3. The commission may enter into public-private 10
partnerships with private broadband internet service 11
providers to expand and further develop the department's 12
fiber network. 13
4. The commission shall prioritize expansion and 14
development under this section in unserved areas and 15
underserved areas, as such terms are defined in section 16
620.2450. 17
SB 876 2
5. The commission shall use a competitive procurement 18
process to form public-private partnerships under this 19
section. The commission shall publish a public notice of 20
the commission's request for proposals, including any 21
deadline for submission of such proposals, which shall be 22
published once a week for two consecutive weeks in: 23
(1) A newspaper of general circulation in the city 24
where the proposed project is located; 25
(2) At least one technology industry trade publication 26
that is nationally distributed; and 27
(3) Such other publications or manner as the 28
commission may determine. 29
6. The commission shall ensure that at least twenty- 30
five percent of the workforce fulfilling the contracts 31
awarded under this section belongs to a racial minority 32
group, as such term is defined in section 37.013. 33
7. As part of a contract award under this section, the 34
private partnering entity may use the excess fiber capacity 35
to provide internet services as long as the services 36
provided meet the state minimum standard for broadband set 37
by the department of economic development. 38
8. The commission may promulgate any rules to 39
implement the provisions of this section. Any rule or 40
portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 41
536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in 42
this section shall become effective only if it complies with 43
and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, 44
if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 45
536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with 46
the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to 47
delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule 48
are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of 49
SB 876 3
rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after 50
August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void. 51
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