Hill, R-Lake Saint Louis, introduced the same proposal last year, but it went nowhere in the House before lawmakers adjourned in May.

But on Monday, the measure earned bipartisan support when Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, said the legislation could help jump-start long-needed municipal consolidation efforts in the region.

“I love the consolidation piece of it all,” Nasheed said. “I think that it’s going to help the departments. You’re going to get better efficiency and accountability. And it could save money. It’s a good first step.”

It was not clear Monday whether the Missouri Police Chiefs Association would back the idea.

Sheldon Lineback, executive director of the chiefs group, said cities are already disbanding or merging their police operations voluntarily.

“The question is, what does it do that they can’t do already?” Lineback said of the bill. “The municipalities have the authority to do that now.”

He suggested that the issue is a matter of local control, not a state-level mandate.

“It’s typically left up to the people in that community to make that decision,” Lineback said.