Senate adopts substitute for SB10-62, including pilot to provide prepaid phones to domestic violence shelters

The Missouri Senate adopted a substitute for Senate Bill 10-62 and declared the bill perfected after approving multiple amendments, including a pilot program authorizing the Department of Social Services to buy and distribute prepaid mobile devices to victims through shelter grants.

Senator Newton moved adoption of Senate substitute number 3 for SB10-62. Senators debated distribution and amendment text before the chamber adopted at least two amendments by voice vote: one to establish communication access services for the deaf and hard of hearing (an amendment described as identical to one previously offered) and a separate amendment requiring the Office of Administration commissioner to obtain consent from both the House budget chair and the Senate Appropriations chair before entering contracts of $20,000,000 or more.

A substantive amendment read into the record would create a dedicated "domestic violence shelter cell phone fund" and direct the Department of Social Services, "subject to appropriation," to implement a pilot project purchasing prepaid mobile devices and distributing them via grants to shelters for victims of domestic violence. The text, as read, defines "prepaid mobile device" and "shelters for victims of domestic violence," directs the department to develop a grant application and to distribute devices to shelters statewide with attention to rural and urban need parity, and sets a program sunset date of Aug. 28, 2032. The fund would accept grants, donations and bequests and the state treasurer would be custodian; any monies remaining at the end of a biennium would revert to the general revenue fund per the text read.

Sponsors and supporters described the phone pilot as a way to help survivors establish independent communication for appointments, legal matters and counseling; supporters argued the amendment is subject to appropriation so it would carry no immediate fiscal note unless funding is provided. The record notes concern earlier in the floor sequence that an amendment offered by another senator had not been distributed to members, but the communication access and phone-fund amendments were distributed before votes.

After adoption of amendments, the Senate adopted the substitute and "declared [the bill] perfected and ordered printed."

The text in the record assigns the Department of Social Services rulemaking authority to implement the pilot and includes provisions referencing review under the Missouri Sunset Act (the record cites section 23.253) and a post-implementation statutory sunset. The transcript shows the amendments were adopted by voice vote; no roll-call tally is recorded in the transcript for the amendment adoptions or the substitute perfection.