Bill > HB2451

This bill modifies Missouri's existing law regarding making false reports by adding a fourth category of offense to the existing statute. The new provision makes it a crime to knowingly make or cause a false report to a law enforcement officer, federal special investigator, law enforcement agency employee, correctional officer, jailer, electronic portal, or telephone hotline service, claiming that another person is in the United States illegally, when the person making the report knows the information is false or has no proof of its truthfulness. The bill maintains the existing defense that a person can avoid prosecution if they retract the false statement before substantial action is taken in reliance on it, and the burden of proving such retraction is on the defendant. The offense remains classified as a class B misdemeanor, which typically involves potential penalties of up to six months in jail and/or a fine. The modification appears aimed at preventing malicious or unfounded reports about immigration status, adding a specific prohibition to the existing false reporting statute.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB2451&year=2026&code=R