JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A committee on Wednesday advanced a bill aimed at curbing violent crime in Missouri to be debated in the state Senate.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson called lawmakers back to work this summer to pass the legislation, which he said is needed to address a surge in murders in the state's biggest cities.
The measure would strengthen witness protection programs and allow St. Louis police to live outside the city, an attempt at recruiting more officers to the understaffed department.
The bill also would enact harsher penalties for people who sell guns to minors without their parents' permission and would allow judges to decide whether 12- to 18-year-old children should be tried as an adult in court for unlawful use of weapons and armed criminal action.
"When you talk about juveniles, you're not talking about little minor juvenile violations," Parson said Wednesday. "You're talking about people involved in violent crimes."
Missouri lawmakers just two years ago passed a measure that raised the age to be tried as an adult from 17-18 years old.
Racial justice advocates and Black lawmakers have criticized Parson for prioritizing that legislation but not calling on the Legislature to work on police accountability measures.