Missouri lawmakers are taking a big swing at online abuse with a sweeping bill that would spell out new rights for cybercrime survivors and sharpen the tools used to go after digital offenders. Filed by Sen. Tracy McCreery, SB 1747 packages new crimes, caller ID rules and workplace protections aimed squarely at everything from romance scams to relentless doxxing campaigns. The measure was introduced on Feb. 25, with an effective date set for Aug. 28, 2026.
What the bill would do
As outlined by the Missouri Senate, SB 1747 would extend workplace protections that currently apply to victims of domestic or sexual violence to also cover victims of cyberharassment, cyberstalking, harassment and stalking. The bill would create a formal Cybercrimes Survivors' Bill of Rights, requiring medical providers, law enforcement and prosecutors to notify survivors of those rights. It also directs the Department of Public Safety and the attorney general to develop forms and procedures for collecting and preserving digital evidence so it does not disappear with the next software update.
Caller ID rules and civil remedies
The proposal folds in a Caller ID Anti-Spoofing Act that would force telecommunications providers to deploy STIR/SHAKEN, or comparable technology, by Aug. 28, 2027. Providers that do not comply could face escalating fines. People who receive spoofed calls would be able to seek punitive damages of up to $5,000 per call, and the attorney general could file or join enforcement actions, according to FastDemocracy.
New criminal offenses and penalties
SB 1747 would also put a slate of new tech-era crimes into Missouri statute, including cyberharassment and cyberstalking, unlawful electronic tracking of motor vehicles, disclosure of intimate digital depictions and a new crime labeled "sadistic online exploitation." Penalties would range from misdemeanors for first-time offenses to felonies for repeat or more damaging conduct. The bill would allow courts to bar respondents who are under orders of protection from possessing firearms while those orders remain in effect, as detailed by the Missouri Senate.
Task force and elder-abuse focus
The legislation would create a 14-member Elder Abuse Task Force to examine romance scams and other abuse targeting older Missourians, and to develop educational materials and policy recommendations. It would also direct the Missouri Supreme Court to prepare redaction guidelines designed to keep victims' personal identifying information out of public court filings, a priority flagged by the Department of Public Safety's Stop Cyberstalking and Harassment Task Force, per the Department of Public Safety.
Survivors and local cases that pushed change
Survivors and victim advocates told lawmakers that gaps in current law leave people exposed when harassment crosses state lines or snowballs online, sometimes dragging on for years before any relief arrives. Local coverage and testimony from the state task force, including reporting on survivor Angela Vories and the long harassment campaign that ultimately led to a conviction, helped spur legislators to act, according to GovTech. Sen. McCreery has described the bill as "the first attempt to update Missouri statutes to capture crimes that didn't exist 50 years ago," as reported by KSDK.
What's next
SB 1747 received its first reading in the Senate on Feb. 25 and now heads into the long grind of committee hearings and floor debate, where lawmakers will hash out enforcement details and the price tag. Legislative trackers such as FastDemocracy show the measure is still at an early stage. If it advances, sponsors expect the bulk of the bill to take effect Aug. 28, 2026, with the STIR/SHAKEN requirement kicking in on Aug. 28, 2027.
Legal implications
Legal observers note that the bill's new crimes and expanded civil remedies are likely to draw close scrutiny from defense attorneys and civil-liberties advocates concerned about how broadly the language could be applied. Lawmakers backing SB 1747 say the point is to plug the holes victims have already fallen through while pairing tougher laws with training, clear redaction rules and a dedicated victim assistance fund meant to lessen the damage when online harassment escalates into real-world harm.
