COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A new Missouri bill will officially go into effect on Wednesday that will make a variety of modifications to public safety laws in the Show Me State.
Senate Bill 754 was signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson in July . Some of the biggest changes in the bill include increasing the minimum age a juvenile can be tried as an adult, establishing a “Stop Cyberstalking and Harassment Task Force” and tougher penalties on a variety of crimes.
Two of these changes include establishing Blair’s Law and Max’s Law. Blair’s Law, named after Blair Shanahan Lane, a Kansas City girl who was killed by gunfire in 2011, makes celebratory gunfire a class A misdemeanor for the first offense, a class E felony for the second offense, and a class D felony for any third or subsequent offenses.
Max’s Law, named after a St. Joseph Police K-9 officer who was shot and killed in 2021, increases the penalty of an assault on a law enforcement animal from a misdemeanor to a felony.
St. Joseph police officer Lucas Winder told ABC 17 News in July that she was serving a high-risk warrant in 2021 with his K-9, Max when Max was shot and killed.