Expands the definition of special victim to include staff members of the division of youth services and registered nurses

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Gregg Bush and 1 co-sponsor

Expands special-victim status to include Division of Youth Services staff and registered nurses, ensuring assaults on them receive the same enhanced protections as other designated

Referred: Emerging Issues(H)

#crimesandpunishment #criminalprocedure #nurses #youthservices #divisionof

Summary of HB 1918 (Session 2026, Missouri)

Purpose and intent

Expands the definition of “special victim” within Missouri’s criminal code to explicitly include staff members of the Division of Youth Services (within the Department of Social Services) and registered nurses.

The bill aims to ensure that assaults on these additional categories of public-facing professionals are recognized and treated under the same special-victim provisions as other designated groups.

Key provisions and changes

Replaces the current Section 565.002 with a revised version that redefines terms used in the chapter, including the list of “special victims.”

New inclusion in “Special victim” (subsection 14) adds:

A staff member of the Division of Youth Services assaulted in the performance of official duties or as a direct result of those duties.
Registered nurses.

The rest of the existing enumerated categories remain, including:

Law enforcement officers, emergency personnel (firefighters, EMS, hospital/ER staff), probation and parole officers, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, vulnerable persons, jailers/corrections officers, highway workers, utility workers, cable workers, and mass transit system employees.

Other defined terms (e.g., “adequate cause,” “course of conduct,” “sudden passion,” etc.) are retained and clarified as part of the updated statute.

Who would be affected

Employees and workers who fall into the newly added “special victim” categories:

Staff members of the Division of Youth Services
Registered nurses (presumably including those in emergency rooms, hospitals, or trauma centers, based on the broader category)

The bill affects victims and prosecutors by expanding the set of individuals presumed to receive enhanced consideration under special-victim provisions when assaulted in the line of duty.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Legislative history:

Introduced by Representative Casteel; co-sponsors include David Casteel and Gregg Bush.
Prefiled in December 2025; read first time January 7, 2026; read second time January 8, 2026.
Referred to Emerging Issues (H) on May 15, 2026.

The bill would repeal the current Section 565.002 and enact a new version with the revised definitions, effective on the date of enactment (as with most Missouri criminal code revisions).

No specific fiscal impact, implementation date, or sunset provisions are stated in the available text.

Practical impact and considerations

Aligns Missouri law with broader protections for frontline staff by explicitly naming additional categories as “special victims.”

Potentially affects charging decisions, sentencing considerations, and prosecutorial procedures where the status of a victim as a “special victim” informs applicable penalties, enhancements, or protections.

The addition of division of youth services staff and nurses reflects concerns about violence against public-facing professionals in social services and health care settings.

If you’d like, I can compare this bill’s language to prior versions (HB 203, 2025; HB 1537, 2024) to highlight how the definition has evolved.