JEFFERSON CITY • Concerns over a proposed new residency policy weren’t enough to derail a bill ending 150 years of state control of the St. Louis police Department, as a Senate committee gave initial approval to the measure Tuesday morning.

Democratic state Rep. Jamilah Nasheed of St. Louis said there are no changes to the residency rules from the bill approved by the Senate earlier this year. Officers hired before the city takeover would retain their current right to move out of the city after seven years with the department. Those hired after Jan. 1, 2012, would have to live in the city, just as other city employees do under the city’s charter.

Two Republican Senators – Jane Cunningham of Chesterfield and Luann Ridgeway of Smithville – expressed concerns that the residency rules in the latest version of the bill aren’t clear enough to ensure current employees are grandfathered in.

The bill’s Senate sponsor, Democrat Joe Keaveny of St. Louis, said he would offer an amendment that not only addresses those concerns but also moves the date of when the residency rules kick in from Jan. 1 to July 1, when the city officially takes over the department.

Nasheed said the city is also expected to look at changing its charter in the near future, and that residency rules for city employees could be addressed at that time.

The bill can now move to the full Senate for debate. The House passed the legislation on Friday.

If approved, the city would take over control of the police department. Currently, a five-person state board runs the department under a structure that dates back to the Civil War. The governor appoints four members and the mayor fills the final spot.