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CV NEWS FEED // A Missouri bill to support struggling parents and protect vulnerable newborns is now awaiting Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature after passing both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Sponsored by Rep. Jim Murphy, R-Oakville, the legislation would expand the Safe Haven Baby Box program, raise tax credits for maternity homes and diaper banks, and establish a new “Zero-Cost Adoption Fund.”
Murphy described the measure as “a pro-life bill that everybody agrees with,” Call Newspapers reported.
The proposal, officially titled the “Safe Place for Newborns Fund,” passed the House 136-1 and the Senate 31-1. It directs state resources toward expanding access to Safe Haven Baby Boxes, specialized units installed at public safety locations that allow parents to anonymously surrender newborns in crisis situations.
The first baby box in Missouri was installed in August 2023 at Mehlville Fire Protection District’s Engine House No. 2 in St. Louis County. Just six months later, a newborn girl was safely placed inside. Fire Chief Brian Hendricks, who helped lead the effort, recalled discovering the baby after a silent alarm alerted him to her presence.
“There is no reason in the world we live in that babies end up in dumpsters,” he told lawmakers during testimony earlier this year, Call Newspapers reported. “We can do better.”
Thanks to private donations, six baby boxes have been installed in Missouri, with four more in progress. Murphy said interest in the program is growing rapidly, with fire departments and city councils across the state — including in Kansas City — exploring installations.
Still, funding remains a hurdle. Each unit costs about $20,000 because the boxes must conform to strict health and safety practices similar to hospital-level requirements. The current state budget includes $250,000 for the program, with grants of up to $10,000 per box expected to support 25 additional installations.
The Senate expanded the bill to include a 100% tax credit for donations to maternity homes (up from 70%), increased the annual cap from $50,000 to $100,000 per taxpayer, and extended the diaper bank tax credit through 2031. Lawmakers also created a “Zero-Cost Adoption Fund,” prioritizing families adopting from foster care and offering resources to stabilize those placements.
“Any time we can make not only the adoption process smoother and more cost-efficient [but] also put supports in place to ensure that the adoption is successful, that’s an easy yes for me,” said Rep. Melissa Schmidt, R-Eldridge.
In the Senate, Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, shared her own experience as an adoptive mother.
“My son was placed in my arms at 13 days. I can’t imagine what his birth mom was going through during those days, but I am so grateful that after 13 days, she was able to place him in my arms,” she said. “That’s what we want for all birth parents in that situation, to recognize that there is a safe place for their baby.”
