Missouri HB 2052: Creates the 21st Century Missouri Broadband Deployment Task Force

Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 2052
101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
4749H.04C DANA RADEMAN MILLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 620, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the 21st-century
Missouri broadband deployment task force.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 620, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 620.2470, to read as follows:
620.2470. 1. There is hereby created the "21st-Century Missouri Broadband
2 Deployment Task Force".
3 2. The members of the task force shall be as follows:
4 (1) Threemembers ofthehouse ofrepresentatives,with two membersappointed
5 by the speaker of the house of representatives and one member appointed by the
6 minority leader of the house of representatives;
7 (2) Three members of the senate, with two members appointed by the president
8 pro tempore of the senate and one member appointed by the minority leader of the
9 senate;
10 (3) The director of broadband development;
11 (4) One member from the association of Missouri electric cooperatives;
12 (5) Three members representing telecommunications companies consisting of
13 two representatives of large Local Exchange Telecommunications Companies, as of
14 January 1, 2022, and one representative of a small incumbent Local Exchange
15 Telecommunications Company, as those terms are defined in section 386.020;
16 (6) One member from the Missouri Public Utility Alliance;
17 (7) One member from the Missouri Association of Counties;
18 (8) One member from the Missouri Association of Councils of Governments;
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.

19 (9) One member from the Missouri Municipal League;
20 (10) One member from the Missouri Hospital Association;
21 (11) One member from the department of elementary and secondary education;
22 (12) One member from the department of mental health;
23 (13) One member from the cable industry;
24 (14) One member from the wireless industry;
25 (15) One member each from the Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Pork
26 Producers Association, Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri Cattlemen's
27 Association, and Missouri Farm Bureau;
28 (16) One member from the telehealth industry;
29 (17) One member from the Associated General Contractors of Missouri;
30 (18) One member from a statewide organization representing senior citizens;
31 (19) One member from the Missouri Rural Water Association;
32 (20) One member representing an organization engaged in digital navigation;
33 (21) One member representing a contractor engaged in broadband deployment;
34 (22) One member representing a public library that provides digital navigation
35 services; and
36 (23) One member representing a coalition focused on digital equity.
37 3. The speaker of the house of representatives shall designate the chair of the
38 task force, and the president pro tempore of the senate shall designate the vice chair of
39 the task force.
40 4. Staff offices including, but not limited to, house research, house drafting,
41 senate research, and the joint committee on legislative research shall provide such legal,
42 research, clerical, technical, and bill drafting services as the task force may require in
43 the performance of its duties.
44 5. Membersofthetaskforce shallservewithout compensation,but themembers
45 and any staff assigned to the task force shall receive reimbursement for actual and
46 necessary expenses incurred in attending meetings of the task force or any
47 subcommittee thereof. All task force members shall be subject to the same conflict-
48 of-interest provisions in chapter 105 that are enforced by the Missouri ethics
49 commission in the same manner that elected or appointed officials and employees are
50 subject to such provisions.
51 6. Thetaskforceshallholditsfirstmeetingwithintwomonthsfromtheeffective
52 date of this section.
53 7. The duties of the task force shall be to:
54 (1) Evaluate the status of broadband deployment in Missouri;
55 (2) Evaluate the deployment process; and
HCS HB 2052 2

56 (3) Make recommendations about how to best increase broadband internet
57 deployment across the state to unserved and underserved residents.
58 8. The task force shall report a summary of its activities and recommendations
59 to the general assembly before September 30, 2023.
60 9. (1) The task force shall suspend its operations on September 30, 2023. At
61 such time, all members of the task force shall be relieved of their positions on the task
62 force.
63 (2) The task force shall resume its operations on September 30, 2024, with a new
64 set of members to be selected according to the provisions of subsection 2 of this section.
65 The new chair and the new vice chair of the task force shall be designat