Missouri state Rep. Courtney Allen Curtis wants to give you a high-five, and he wants it to be official.

Curtis, a Democrat, recently introduced HB 1624, which reads, “The ‘high five’ is selected for and shall be known as the official state greeting in the state of Missouri.”

Yes, the high-five could be on its way to being Missouri’s official state greeting.

“I went with this because it’s something I do on the floor to connect with my colleagues and promote bipartisanship,” Curtis told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.


“It’s the physical act of connecting. Sure, a handshake can do it, there are a number of ways to do it. This is just something that I actually do.”

Curtis said his inspiration for the bill is the children and teens he works with on a regular basis. He said he wanted to use the measure as a teaching tool to showcase how legislation is created and moves through the lawmaking process.

Curtis said that the bill had garnered positive and negative feedback from his constituents, with some complaining that it’s a waste of time. But that’s OK with him; he said he’ll share that lesson with the kids too.

“There may be good and negative feedback from any idea that is proposed, but what matters is the ultimate objective of whatever you set out to do initially.”


Curtis noted that the bill took negligible time away from his day-to-day duties, taking 10 minutes to draft.

The bill is on its second reading in the state House of Representatives.

Looking for more high-fives? Follow me on Twitter @Sleasca

stacey.leasca@latimes.com