Mo. Rev. Stat. § 595.325 — MO Code / Chapter 595 / Section 595.325
595.325 Task force created, members, officers, duties, report — expiration date.
Status: in_force

595.325. Task force created, members, officers, duties, report — expiration date. — 1. There is hereby created the "Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls Task Force" to consist of the following members:

(1) The following four members of the general assembly:

(a) Two members of the senate, with one member to be appointed by the president pro tempore of the senate and one member to be appointed by the minority floor leader of the senate; and

(b) Two members of the house of representatives, with one member to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one member to be appointed by the minority floor leader of the house of representatives;

(2) The director of the department of public safety or his or her designee;

(3) Two representatives appointed by the director of the department of public safety from among the following:

(a) A member from the Missouri Police Chiefs Association;

(b) A member from the Missouri Sheriffs' * Association; or

(c) The superintendent of the Missouri highway patrol or his or her designee;

(4) One or more representatives appointed by the director of public safety from among the following:

(a) The attorney general or his or her designee;

(b) The director of the Missouri office of prosecution services;

(c) The president of the Missouri Prosecutors Association;

(d) A judge or attorney working in a juvenile court; or

(e) An attorney working in the United States Attorney's Office;

(5) A county coroner or a representative from a statewide coroner's association;

(6) Three or more representatives appointed by the director of public safety from among the following:

(a) A statewide or local organization that provides legal services to African American women and girls;

(b) A statewide or local organization that provides advocacy or counseling for African American women and girls who have been victims of violence;

(c) A statewide or local organization that provides services to African American women and girls; or

(d) An African American woman who is a survivor of gender violence.

2. The task force shall appoint a chairperson who is elected by a majority vote of the members of the task force. The task force shall have an initial meeting before October 1, 2025. The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to necessary and actual expenses incurred in attending meetings of the task force.

3. The task force shall examine and report on the following:

(1) The systemic causes behind violence that African American women and girls experience, including patterns and underlying factors that explain why disproportionately high levels of violence occur against African American women and girls, including underlying historical, social, economic, institutional, and cultural factors that may contribute to the violence;

(2) Appropriate methods for tracking and collecting data on violence against African American women and girls, including data on missing and murdered African American women and girls;

(3) Policies and institutions such as policing, child welfare, coroner practices, and other governmental practices that impact violence against African American women and girls and the investigation and prosecution of crimes of gender violence against African American women and girls;

(4) Measures necessary to address and reduce violence against African American women and girls; and

(5) Measures to help victims, victims' families, and victims' communities prevent and heal from violence that occurs against African American women and girls.

4. The department of public safety shall provide administrative support to the task force.

5. On or before December thirty-first of each year, the task force shall submit a report on its findings to the governor and the general assembly.

6. The task force shall expire on December 31, 2027, unless extended until December 31, 2029, as determined necessary by the department of public safety.

(L. 2025 H.B. 495) *Word "Sheriffs" appears in original rolls. Severability clause, see § 1.1001