Missouri Senate passes crime bill, which now heads to House

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)

Missouri senators have passed a bill proposed by Gov. Mike Parson to address violent crime.

Senators voted 27-3 in favor of the bill Friday. It now goes to the state House. The bill would require judges to consider certifying children as young as 14 as adults for certain weapons crimes. The measure also would temporarily lift a requirement that St. Louis police live in the city.

Other changes include strengthening witness protections and harsher penalties for adults who give children guns without their parents' permission.

The measure passed with bipartisan support, but Black senators voted against it.