Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
The following is a legislative update from Clarkston Nelson, LLC concerning the Missouri General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session. Use the information within to develop local coverage of issues important to your readers.
The House spent most of its week perfecting legislation and moving a significant number of bills through its Rules committees to reload its calendar. Along party-line votes, House Republicans advanced legislation this week from committee aimed at replacing Missouri’s individual income tax with an expanded sales tax framework. This proposal, that places a constitutional question on the 2026 ballot, continues to draw significant debate among legislators and stakeholders as it moves through the process. In addition, the House passed a couple dozen bills on the floor this week on numerous topics, to which these bills will likely fill the Senate calendar in the weeks ahead with far ranging floor activity.
For the first time this year, the Senate saw its first late night of the session, perfecting sweeping legislation on juvenile justice around 3:30 am on Thursday, following close to twelve hours of debate. With the passage of SB 888 this week, was a welcome sight to many capitol observers as it showed the Senate process can still work as both parties found common ground on a complex bill. The General Assembly will convene next week for its final week before the legislature’s spring break the week of March 16 to March 20.
Budget Update
Budget committees continued hearings this week reviewing agency funding priorities and operational needs for the upcoming fiscal year. The House Appropriations – General Administration Committee heard testimony regarding statewide information technology modernization and cybersecurity investments. The Senate Appropriations Committee also reviewed budgets for the MO Department of Transportation and the Department of Social Services. MoDOT officials highlighted progress on major infrastructure projects, including the ongoing I-70 expansion. Department of Social Services officials outlined the fiscal impacts of federal policy changes, including new Medicaid work requirements, reduced federal administrative matching funds for SNAP, and the need for continued investment in eligibility system modernization and program administration.
The Senate also dedicated floor time Tuesday afternoon debating HB 2014, a supplemental appropriations bill funding MO state government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, allocating approximately $3.06 billion.
Eliminating the State Income Tax
The House Committee on Commerce convened Wednesday morning to consider passage of HJR 174, sponsored by House Speaker Jon Patterson (R–Lee’s Summit) and HJR 173, sponsored by Rep. Bishop Davidson (R–Republic). The resolutions are substantively similar and would place before voters a constitutional amendment authorizing the gradual elimination of Missouri’s individual income tax, contingent on future legislative action and revenue triggers. During committee discussion, substitute language was adopted combining the measures into a single legislative vehicle and modifying the proposal’s implementation framework. The substitute establishes a revenue-triggered mechanism for reducing the income tax, under which the individual income tax rate would be reduced by 0.01% for every $20 million in new state revenue, adjusted for inflation. Once the tax rate reaches 1.4%, the remaining individual income tax would be fully eliminated. The substitute also caps annual reductions at 1.6% and revises the ballot language to comply with Missouri Supreme Court guidance regarding initiative summaries. An amendment offered by Representative Ashley Aune (D–Kansas City) sought to revise the ballot language to explicitly state that the proposal would expand sales taxes on goods and services to replace income tax revenue, but the amendment was rejected by the committee. Following discussion, the committee adopted the substitute and voted 7–3 to advance the measure.
Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Pilot Program
The House Committee on Children and Families convened Tuesday morning to discuss passage of HB 1792, sponsored by Representative Jim Murphy (R-St Louis). This bill creates the “Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act” and creates a 2027–2029 pilot program requiring the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to implement media literacy and critical thinking instruction in five to seven school districts, covering skills such as analyzing news, identifying misinformation, practicing digital citizenship, and understanding free speech. Participating districts must report results, and the department will submit statewide recommendations and proposed standards before the program expires in 2029. After no discussion, the committee passed the bill by a 15-0 vote.
Elections
The House Rules-Administrative Committee convened Tuesday morning to consider passage of HB 1871, sponsored by Representative Peggy McGaugh (R-Carrollton). The bill modifies several provisions regarding elections. Specifically, the bill: reinstates the presidential primary election; allows election notifications to be sent by email; moves the filing dates for candidates in certain elections; requires automatic tabulating equipment to be tested one week before an election; lengthens the in-person no-excuse absentee voting from two to four weeks; modifies provisions for no-tax-due statements in St. Louis; allows for the use of provisional ballots; and increases the distance from 25 to 50 feet for electioneering. The committee substitute was previously adopted to remove provisions increasing distance, removed the presidential preference primary provisions, and provided technical changes. The committee passed the bill by a vote of 8-1.
Show MO Act
Representatives Jeff Vernetti (R-Camdenton) and Colin Wellenkamp (R-St. Charles) presented HB 2058 and HB 2142 to the House Economic Development Committee on Tuesday morning. The identical bills, known as the “Show MO Act,” would modify Missouri’s tax credit program for motion media production projects. The legislation provides a base tax credit equal to 20% of qualifying in-state expenses for eligible film, series, and other media productions, with additional bonus credits available for projects that film primarily in Missouri, operate in rural or blighted areas, hire Missouri residents or apprentices, and promote the state. The program includes annual caps on total credits, allows unused credits to be carried forward or transferred, and extends the sunset date from December 31, 2029, to December 31, 2035. Supporters, including representatives from the Missouri Film Office, St. Louis and Kansas City film offices, producers, and the MO Chambers of Commerce testified that the credit has led to significant job creation, in-state spending, workforce development, and tourism benefits. No opposing testimony was presented.
Catalytic Converter Theft and Public Notice Repeal on Storage Units
The House Committee on Judiciary met Wednesday afternoon to consider passage of HB 2206, sponsored by Representative Don Mayhew (R-Crocker). The bill modifies several statutes related to commercial activity, scrap metal transactions, self-service storage liens, and theft offenses, with a focus on catalytic converters and organized retail theft. It expands requirements for salvage and scrap dealers, creates a felony for unlawful possession of a detached catalytic converter, increases related theft penalties, revises storage lien sale procedures, and repeals the Sunday sales law. After no discussion, the committee passed the bill by a 12-1 vote.
Attempt to Restore the Presidential Primary Election
On Tuesday morning, the House Elections Committee voted “do pass” in executive session on House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2387, legislation by Rep. Brad Banderman (R-St. Clair), which would reinstate the Presidential Primary Election in Missouri on the first Tuesday in March of each presidential election year. The committee vote was 10-2. The House Committee Substitute also deals with absentee voting, both in-person and by mail. Several committee members had previously criticized the presidential primary, saying some voters believe they are voting for a presidential candidate, but that doesn’t happen until November. Banderman described several changes he made in the House Committee Substitute, including no change in the current absentee voting period, the filing fee for the President Primary Election will be designated by the political parties’ state committees, and written pledges will be required for voters to be bound to vote in the general election. A similar bill regarding the Presidential Primary, filed by Rep. Rudy Veit (R-Wardsville), was not voted on by the committee.
Election Notices in Newspapers – House Version
On Tuesday morning, the House Elections Committee met for a hearing on House Bill 2605, sponsored by Rep. Peggy McGaugh (R-Carrollton), a bill that modifies legal notices for all elections. According to the original bill that was identical to Senate Bill 1094, sponsored by Sen. Sandy Crawford (R-Buffalo), instead of publishing notice of an election in a newspaper, county clerks and election authorities would have the option of mailing a legal notice to each registered voter in their county within six weeks of an election. McGaugh said a House Committee Substitute for the bill has been prepared to require an election notice to be published one time in one or more newspapers in the county if the county clerk also mails the election notice to registered voters. The compromise language has been worked on by the Missouri Press Association with the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities. If notices are not mailed to voters, then the notice must be published in newspapers twice during the six weeks before the election, with at least one of the notices to include the location of polling places. In the case of any bond election, HB 2605 also provides that if an election is not contested within 30 days after the official announcement of the election results, then all conditions of state election law shall be deemed to have been complied with in the issuance of the bond. Testifying in support of the bill was Brandon Alexander of the State Auditor’s staff, who noted some recent bond elections were not certified because of notices not published correctly in newspapers. Other groups supporting the bill were the County of Boone, the Boone County Fire Protection District, the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities, Doug Crews of the Missouri Press Association, the Missouri Association of School Administrators, the Missouri School Boards Association, Arnie Dienoff, and the Missouri Association of Counties. There was no opposing testimony presented. The committee took no action on the bill.
State Contracts and Master Agreements
House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2906, sponsored by Rep. Don Mayhew (R-Crocker), was voted “do pass” by the House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs on Wednesday afternoon. The vote was 13-1. HCS HB 2906 deals with state standing contracts and master agreements. Currently, state agencies may, when authorized, establish standing contracts to perform construction, renovation, maintenance, and repair projects not exceeding $100,000 and job order contracts not exceeding $300,000. HB 2906 increases those limits to $250,000 and $750,000. The bill defines "master agreement" to mean a contract for architecture, engineering, or land surveying services that will be performed on an as-needed basis for an indefinite number of projects over a defined period. The Division of Facilities Management, Design, and Construction of the Office of Administration will have the authority to establish master agreements using a qualification-based selection process where services do not exceed $100,000 per project. The Division will issue a request for qualifications for all master agreements, to be published on their website or advertised electronically for at least ten days before statements of qualifications are reviewed. Master agreements will not exceed two years, including renewal periods, and the total value of all services performed under a master agreement must not exceed one million dollars per year.
Missouri Expungement Fund
The House Committee on Financial Institutions convened Wednesday afternoon to receive public testimony on HB 2967, sponsored by Representative Cameron Parker (R-Campbell). The bill creates the “Missouri Expungement Fund” which would be a dedicated permanent funding source for the processing of expungements and subject to appropriations. Supporting testimony was presented by the Missouri Supreme Court Judicial Conference who stated the legislation simply sets up the framework for the fund and given the number of bills filed that modify or add to the expungement process a dedicated fund is needed so those that hold or have access to court records may respond accordingly. During discussion, a committee substitute was adopted to remove the provision dividing any allocated funds by thirds and subjects the fund to legislative appropriation. Once modified, the committee passed the bill by a 15-0 vote.
Coordinator of Federal Funds Recovery
On Wednesday afternoon, the House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs voted “do pass” on House Committee Substitute for House Bill 3006, sponsored by Rep. Louis Riggs (R-Hannibal), a bill creating the position of Coordinator of Federal Funds Recovery. The committee vote was 13-1. The position is created in the Office of the State Treasurer. HCS HB 3006 sets the Coordinator’s primary duty as monitoring the status of all federal funds appropriated to Missouri. The Coordinator will be authorized to attempt to recover any funds that are appropriated but not disbursed to the state through any available means, including legal action in court. The Coordinator must establish a process for state employees to report funds that were appropriated by the Federal government but never disbursed.
Responsible Social Media Curriculum
The House Committee on Children and Families convened Tuesday morning to receive public testimony on HB 3077, sponsored by Representative Melissa Schmidt (R-Eldridge). The bill creates a mandate that school districts develop curricula regarding the responsible use of social media. Supporting testimony was presented by the Lebanon R-3 School District who stated this education is critical as students now have access to machines that contain addictive algorithms, cyber bullying, misinformation and privacy dangers. Additional supporting testimony was provided by the Missouri Network Against Child Abuse and Kids Harbor Child Advocacy Network. No opposing testimony was presented to the committee.
Show MO Tax Credit
The Senate Committee on Economic and Workforce Development convened Wednesday morning to receive public testimony on SB 1079, sponsored by Senator Kurtis Gregory (R-Marshall). Current law authorizes a tax credit for certain motion media production projects including an $8 million limit for film and an $8 million limit for series productions. This bill raises the cap to $16 million to be authorized with no specific limits for either film or series production. Supporting testimony was provided by Explore St. Louis, Southwest Missouri Film Office, Ozarks Film Foundry, Base Craft LLC, Film in MO, City of Independence, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Missouri Citizens for the Arts, Associated Industries of Missouri, Branson Lakes Chamber of Commerce, and the Missouri Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus who stated this increase is necessary to compete with surrounding states as several hit series referencing Missouri towns and cities have been filmed elsewhere. Opposing testimony was provided by the Show-Me Institute who stated that this program is not a good investment for the state regarding return on investment. Informational Testimony was presented by the Missouri Film Office who elaborated on the way in which the film industry has grown in Missouri under the tax credit.
Publication of Election Notices – Senate Version
On Monday afternoon, the Senate Local Government, Elections, and Pensions Committee voted “do pass” on Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1094, sponsored by Sen. Sandy Crawford (R-Buffalo), a bill that modifies legal notices for all elections. The committee vote was 6-0. According to the original bill, instead of publishing notice of an election in a newspaper, county clerks and election authorities would have the option of mailing a legal notice to each registered voter in their county within six weeks of an election. On Monday, Crawford said the Senate Committee Substitute for the bill would require an election notice to be published one time in one or more newspapers in the county if the county clerk also mails the election notice to registered voters. The compromise language has been worked on by the Missouri Press Association with the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities. If the notice is not mailed to voters, then the notice must be published in newspapers twice during the six weeks before the election, with at least one of the notices to include the location of polling places. In the case of any bond election, SCS SB 1094 also provides that if an election is not contested within 30 days after the official announcement of the election results, then all conditions of state election law shall be deemed to have been complied with in the issuance of the bond.
Unmanned Aircrafts
The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence convened Wednesday morning to consider passage of SB 1421, sponsored by Senator Nick Schroer (R-St. Charles). This bill would place guardrails on drone use, authorizing prosecution of an unmanned aircraft within the boundary of a critical infrastructure facility as a violation of criminal law. After no discussion, the committee passed the bill by a unanimous 5-0 vote.
Limiting Minors to Harmful Material on the Internet
On Wednesday morning, the full House brought up for perfection House Committee Substitute for House Bills 1839, 2921 & 3015, handled by Rep. Sherri Gallick (R-Belton), preventing minors from accessing harmful material on the Internet. The bill was perfected and printed by a roll call vote of 104-16, and the House needs another vote to send the bill to the Senate. The bill requires any commercial entity for which it is the regular course of business to publish or distribute in the state a website in which at least 33 percent of the material published is harmful to minors, as defined in the bill, to verify that any person attempting to access the material is at least 18 years old. After verification, the commercial entity is prohibited from retaining any identifying information of the individual. The bill does not apply to bona fide news or public interest broadcasts or other media and will not affect the rights of a news-gathering organization. The Attorney General must enforce the provisions of the bill. If the Attorney General believes that a violation occurred and an action is in the public interest, the Attorney General can commence an action. If the court finds that a violation occurred, the court can grant relief. Civil penalty awards are specified in the bill.
Targeting Drones Used in Criminal Activity
On Monday afternoon, the full House brought up for third reading House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2587, sponsored by Rep. Mike Jones (R-Kansas City), a bill regarding drones. The bill was third read and passed by a House vote of 140-2, and the bill now moves to the Senate. The bill mirrors federal law and authorizes a law enforcement officer to take necessary mitigation measures, specified in the bill, in a manner consistent with the Missouri Constitution against an imminent threat to public safety posed by an unmanned aircraft system (drones) or when the unmanned aircraft system is involved in criminal activity. The bill amends the offense of unlawful use of unmanned aircraft to include when one is flown over a critical infrastructure facility. During the previous debate, it was noted that some companies are beginning to use drones to deliver packages, but the bill is not intended to affect delivery drones, Rep. Jones said. With World Cup Soccer being held in Missouri this summer, the bill is certainly needed, another legislator said. The bill includes an emergency clause that was approved on a vote of 133-11.
Clean Slate Expungements of Records
On Monday afternoon, the full House brought up for third reading House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2747 & 2047. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bishop Davidson (R-Republic), deals with “clean slate” expungements. The House third read and passed the bill on a vote of 140-7, and the bill now moves to the Senate. The bill specifies that, starting Jan. 1, 2031, the Office of State Courts Administrator and the Missouri State Highway Patrol must submit an annual report to the Joint Committee on the Justice System, the House Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. This report must include specified statistics, including the number of eligible offenses identified, the number of records objected to for automatic expungement, and the number of expungement orders issued. The bill also establishes an automatic record-clearing or expungement process for closing records of a "clean slate eligible offense,” which is an offense not excluded from the eligibility for expungement. Currently, in a criminal prosecution for murder in the first degree, the court must instruct the jury that, in the event it cannot reach a consensus on punishment, the court may assess punishment, including death. The bill repeals that provision and provides a procedure for when a jury cannot reach a unanimous decision on punishment. The bill provides that a credit bureau can report records of arrests, indictments pending trial, and convictions for no more than seven years from the date of final disposition. A credit bureau can no longer report these records if, at any time after conviction, indictment, or arrest, it is learned that a full pardon or expungement has been granted for the conviction. The bill creates in the State Treasury the "Missouri Expungement Fund,” which is a fund dedicated to the creation, operation, and maintenance of the program, upon appropriation.
Modifies Provisions Governing Property Taxes
On Thursday afternoon, the full House again brought up for third reading House Committee Substitute #2 for House Bill 2780, sponsored by Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Bunceton), a property taxation bill. The bill was third read and passed by a House vote of 133-13, and the bill now moves to the Senate. HCS HB 2780, as amended, had been debated on the House floor on Feb. 17, but was recommitted to the House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform and went through several committee hearings during the past two weeks. The bill prohibits any political subdivision or election authority from advertising or describing any proposed property tax as a “no tax increase” tax proposal. Property tax proposals must be decided in the November general elections every two years. A floor amendment on Feb. 17, sponsored by Rep. Rodger Reedy (R-Windsor), allows township counties to hold real or personal property tax elections in either April or November. New construction is no longer excluded from aggregate assessed valuation as related to the Hancock Amendment. Other changes in the substitute allow people to pay real and personal property taxes quarterly, except for taxpayers in township counties. The bill provides clear language as it relates to ballot measures. The bill provides that single-family homes that are leased, in whole or in part, for a term of 30 consecutive days or less, must be classified and taxed as residential property. These single-family homes must not necessarily be considered “transient housing.” The bill provides that, for the purpose of real property appraisal and assessment, “true value in money” must mean the actual replacement cost or costs of the real property and improvements to such real property. This bill requires ballot language to describe the desired tax as a specified amount per $100,000 or per $10,000 of appraised value, depending on whether the property is residential, commercial, agricultural, or a motor vehicle. The bill requires that if voters in a political subdivision approve a levy increase before the expiration of a previously approved temporary levy increase, the new tax rate ceiling will remain in effect only until the temporary levy increase expires under the terms originally approved by voters. At that time, the tax rate ceiling will be decreased by the amount of the temporary levy increase unless voters of the political subdivision are asked to approve an additional permanent increase and such increase is approved. Currently, before setting the property tax rate, a county must hold a public hearing where citizens can comment. The county must publish a notice of the hearing in a qualifying local newspaper at least seven days in advance of the public hearing, and this notice must include certain information. The bill provides that the notice no longer needs to include the increase in tax revenue realized due to an increase in assessed value as a result of new construction and improvements. Currently, no school district can receive more state aid for its education program than it received per weighted average daily attendance for the school year 2005-06 from the foundation formula, unless it has an operating levy for school purposes of not less than $2.75. The bill changes the operating levy floor to receive certain state aid to $2.20, allowing school districts with excess funding to lower their property tax if needed. Among many other provisions, the bill provides that before any assessor may increase the assessed valuation of any parcel of utility, industrial, commercial, railroad, or other real property by more than 15 percent since the last assessment, the assessor must conduct a physical inspection of such property.
House-Elections
3/10/26 8:00 AM
Committee Hearing, HR 5
Executive Session:
HB2605 McGaugh - Modifies provisions relating to the publication of election notices
House-Rules-Administrative
3/10/26 9:00 AM
Committee Hearing, HR 4
Executive Session:
HB2717 Diehl - Modifies provisions relating to self-storage facilities and prohibits an occupant from using a self-storage facility after the operator has delivered notice of the nonrenewal or termination of the rental agreement
