The last time Missouri’s criminal code got a makeover,  Jimmy Carter was president and Missouri’s Legislature was dominated by Democrats. But two 1,000-page bills introduced this year may change that.
Republican Representative Stanley Cox and Democratic Senator Jolie Justus are trying to update the state’s criminal code for the first time since 1979.
Missouri Bar President Patrick Starke calls the current code “cumbersome”.
Jason Lamb, the executive director of the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services and one of the measure’s writers, says the existing code has duplicate crimes and dubious meanings.

Among other things, the new criminal code raises the maximum fines. . .from five to 10-thousand dollars.

Because of the complexity of the two one-thousand page bills, there is no indication when it might come up for a vote.

- Bob Hamilton, KMOX News