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HB 1829

modifying the definition of persistently dangerous schools.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Melissa Litchfield and 2 co-sponsors

Requires municipal clerks to keep physical copies of published ordinances for public inspection: at least 3 copies if not online; at least 1 copy if online for free.

Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6 P. 13
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Bill Summary · HB 1829

Summary — HB 1829

Title: Establishes requirements for physical copies of a municipal code a municipal clerk keeps on file
Status (as provided): Prefiled (H); introduced January 13, 2025

Note up front: The material supplied for “HB 1829” contains text from multiple, unrelated bills filed in different states (Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri) under the same bill number. This summary focuses on the provision that matches the title you supplied — the municipal code / municipal clerk requirement (Missouri § 71.948 language). Where legislative history or other text appears to belong to different jurisdictions, that is noted below and should be verified against the official legislative records in the relevant state.

Purpose / Intent

To ensure the public can inspect a municipality’s codified ordinances in physical form at the municipal clerk’s office, and to set a minimum number of printed copies that must be kept on file depending on whether the ordinances are available online for free.

Key provisions

  • If a municipality’s general ordinances are not available online for free, the municipal clerk must keep at least three (3) copies of the published ordinance book on file in the clerk’s office, available for public inspection during all reasonable business hours.
  • If the municipality’s general ordinances are available online for free, the municipal clerk must keep at least one (1) copy of the published ordinance book on file in the clerk’s office, available for public inspection during all reasonable business hours.

(These provisions are presented in the bill text as a replacement for existing Section 71.948, RSMo.)

Who is affected

  • Municipal clerks and municipal governments: administrative duty to maintain the required number of physical ordinance books and make them available during business hours.
  • Members of the public and local businesses: improved guaranteed physical access to a municipality’s ordinances, regardless of online availability.
  • Publishers/printers: potential minor demand for printed copies where municipalities must maintain multiple books.

Practical impacts and considerations

  • Public access: provides a minimum physical-access safeguard for residents who lack reliable internet or prefer paper copies.
  • Administrative cost: modest — municipalities must maintain and store the physical copies; cost varies by size and whether printed volumes must be purchased/updated when ordinances change.
  • Redundancy: one physical copy remains required even when ordinances are freely available online, preserving an official in-office reference.
  • Enforcement/penalties: none specified in the provided text; the bill sets recordkeeping requirements but does not specify sanctions for noncompliance.

Timeline & procedural notes

  • The supplied legislative actions and dates are inconsistent and appear to include entries from different jurisdictions and different HB 1829 bills. The Missouri-text version shows the new Section 71.948 substituted in place of the old one, but an effective date was not included in the excerpt.
  • Recommendation: verify the current status, effective date, and final language with the official legislative website or clerk’s office of the state where this municipal-code provision is being considered (likely Missouri, per the RSMo citation).

Recommendation

Confirm the correct jurisdiction and retrieve the official bill file (bill text, fiscal note, effective date, committee reports) from that state’s legislature before relying on this summary for legal or policy decisions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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