Legislative Alert
During the morning of February 22, 2023, Vice President and Chair of Missouri APCO’s Legislative Committee JR Webb testified before the Missouri Senate’s Committee on Transportation and Public Safety in support of Senate Bill 46. The Bill, if passed would change language in established laws to include Public-Safety Telecommunicators in the list of recognized first responders in Missouri.
This is a no-cost bill that does not force a change to any benefits packages or scheduling restrictions. Our goal with this is to ensure recognition for the life-saving actions taken each and every day by those heroes under the headset as well as assist in ensuring that those same heroes have access to any future benefits aimed at first responders. In addition, we hope the passage of this bill will assist in the recruitment and retention efforts of centers accross the state.
In addition to Missouri APCO’s support, the bill also saw support from Missouri NENA, the Missouri 9-1-1 Directors Assocation, the Missouri 911 Service Board, the Missouri State Troopers Association, the Missouri Ambulance Association and the Ambulance District Association of Missouri.
It is our hope that this is the year that reclassification happens in Missouri. No matter what , we will continue to work with our partner Associations in public-safety to support reclassification bills that come forward in the future.
Information will be coming out shortly on a legislative day that Missouri APCO, Missouri NENA and the Missouri 911 Director’s Association will be hosting in Jefferson City.