HB 2097 Summary

• Repeals and reenacts 20 existing sections and creates 18 new sections related to transportation, including regulations for outdoor advertising, highway designations, motor vehicle registration, and traffic safety

• Modifies outdoor advertising regulations to allow signs within 660 feet of interstate and federal-aid primary highways in commercial/industrial zones, with updated size, lighting, and spacing requirements

• Designates multiple highway segments and bridges across Missouri with memorial names (including Jack Buck, Harry S Truman, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and others), with costs paid by private donations

• Expands transportation development district authority to operate public mass transportation systems with modified board composition and tax allocation procedures

• Strengthens motor vehicle registration requirements including fleet vehicle registration procedures, driveaway license plate application standards, and specialty license plate provisions for military service awards and organizations

• Clarifies texting restrictions for drivers under 21 to apply on any paved road (not just highways), adds penalties for fraudulent license plates, and caps vehicle storage charges at $45 per day