Following the adjournment of the Missouri Legislature last week, Sen. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, reflected on the recent legislative session, highlighting several passed bills and outlining his policy priorities for next year.
Hudson, who represents the 33rd Senatorial District, which includes Howell, Ozark, Douglas, Texas and Shannon counties, described the session as highly productive.
“I think too often people measure success with an ‘all or nothing’ mentality, but in government that can never be the benchmark,” Hudson said. “We passed a lot of good bills, helped cut the budget and make sure funding was going to the appropriate places, and overall had some big wins for the district and the state.”
Among his legislative highlights, Hudson pointed to the passage of the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires that infants born alive following an attempted abortion receive the same medical care as any infant born at the same gestational age.
He also noted the passage of the Act Against Abusive Website Access Litigation, a measure intended to protect small businesses from specific types of civil lawsuits, and legislation clarifying the filing process for series LLCs with the Secretary of State’s office.
In the state budget, Hudson cited the reestablishment of the Missouri Tourism Supplemental Revenue Fund, which secures full funding for tourism and includes $5 million designated for local chambers of commerce statewide. He added that he secured funding for infrastructure projects across his district while supporting a reduction in overall state spending compared to the previous year.
Looking ahead, Hudson outlined several priorities and bills he plans to refile in the next legislative session.
Key among them is legislation to remove the sunset clauses on two existing laws: the SAFE Act, which restricts minors' access to gender-affirming medical care, and the Save Women’s Sports Act, which prohibits transgender women and girls from competing on female sports teams in public schools.
Hudson also plans to introduce the SPEAKS Act, which he said aims to protect First Amendment rights in K-12 schools, and legislation to extend the civil statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue their perpetrators and any third parties that enabled the abuse.
“There will never be a year where you pass every bill you file, but I plan to keep working just as diligently next year on the priorities of the people of Senate District 33 as I did this year,” Hudson said.
