HB 778

This bill modifies Missouri's Radioactive Waste Investigation Fund by removing the previous cap of $150,000 per fiscal year on both transfers to the fund and investigation expenditures. The legislation establishes a formal process whereby local governments can request investigations of suspected radioactive contamination in their jurisdictions, with the Department of Natural Resources required to conduct these investigations using federal or state agencies or qualified contractors selected through competitive bidding. The bill prioritizes investigation requests based on the order received, with special priority given to areas near federally designated radioactive sites, and mandates that investigation results be reported to the attorney general, the requesting local government, and made publicly available on the department's website within 45 days of receiving final sampling results.