Consumers Council of Missouri (CCM) has been fighting an uphill battle against higher utility rates since Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), was pre-filed on December 1, 2024. The sponsor, Sen. Mike Cierpiot (R-Lee’s Summit), chairs the Senate Committee Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment, so it was apparent he would fast track his own bill.
Monopoly utility companies also put their foot on the gas for SB 4 by dispatching more than seven dozen staff and contract lobbyists into the halls of the Capitol Building. (Ameren alone had 40 lobbyists working the bill.) The lobbyists peddled fear about disasters that would occur if SB 4 did not pass.
To view a full list of these lobbyists’ names, click here.
Sen. Cierpiot moved SB 4 quickly through his committee, and on February 24, it was passed by the Senate 22-11 with one absent. Sen. Tracy McCreery (D-St. Louis County) led efforts to improve the bill’s language, but continued to speak against it and voted no. (Thank your senator if he or she voted NO. Find the record at Page 446 of the Senate Journal for February 24.)
House leadership sped SB 4 through the House in a single week, March 10-13. The final vote was 96-44 with three voting present and 19 absent. To find out how your House member voted, click here. Please thank your Representative if their vote was NO.
On March 24, 2025, SB 4 was signed by the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tem. This bill will now move to the Governor. The dangers in SB 4 are many. Our organized voices are more important now than ever, so please invite a friend to JOIN CCM today.
