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 Missouri legislature returned this week from its annual spring break and was very active in its chambers. Unlike past weeks, the Missouri Senate was extremely productive as it moved numerous bills from the Senate calendar. The House finalized and advanced a $52.7 billion proposed state budget, sending it to the Senate, where, during the floor debate, many members noted that they expect changes to be made in the Senate version. The biggest debate and controversy during the House floor debate occurred on public funding for public education, as the House Budget Committee has restructured the higher education formula funding toward an enrollment-based funding model to which many regional schools will see significant state funding cuts.
Outside the Capitol, the Missouri Supreme Court issued several notable decisions affecting the state’s election laws, shaping the legal framework heading into the upcoming election cycle. Next week, on March 31, the candidate filing will close for the August 4, 2026, Primary Election. As Missouri is a term limit state, our legislature will see many long-time legislators term-limited from office this year, and voters will be sending new legislators next year to many state House and Senate seats.
Missouri Supreme Court Election Law Update
The Missouri Supreme Court issued several significant election-related rulings this week. The Court upheld the General Assembly’s authority to enact mid-decade congressional redistricting, concluding the Missouri Constitution does not limit redistricting to once per decade following the census. As a result, the legislature’s 2025 congressional map may be used moving forward. A related case remains pending—Jake Maggard et al. v. State of Missouri et al.—in which plaintiffs seek to keep the prior congressional map in place until voters consider a referendum on the issue later this year, leaving some uncertainty regarding which map will ultimately be in effect.
In separate decisions, the Court struck down portions of a 2022 law regulating voter registration and absentee ballot outreach, finding those provisions violated constitutional protections for political speech. The Court also dismissed a challenge to Missouri’s voter identification law on standing grounds, concluding the plaintiffs did not demonstrate a sufficient injury for the case to proceed. Together, the rulings address multiple aspects of Missouri’s election laws ahead of the upcoming election cycle.
Budget Update
Missouri House lawmakers advanced the FY27 state budget this week, totaling approximately $52.7 billion across all funds, as they worked to close an estimated $2 billion shortfall. The proposal relies in part on roughly $1.5 billion in surplus funds, underscoring growing concerns about long-term sustainability as one-time resources phase out.
The House budget reflects a more restrained fiscal approach compared to recent years. While core priorities—including full funding of the K-12 foundation formula at roughly $3.8 billion—are maintained, lawmakers scaled back new spending and held many areas flat as revenue growth slows. Floor debate focused heavily on how to prioritize limited resources across education, workforce, and social services.
Childcare remained a central issue, with approximately $1.3 billion in total funding and continued debate over program structure. Notably, the House maintains the shift to attendance-based payments rather than enrollment, a change providers say creates financial uncertainty. Broader discussions also highlighted pressure on Medicaid provider rates, particularly in behavioral health, developmental disabilities, and long-term care, though few significant increases were included.
The budget also proposes a notable shift in higher education funding, allocating roughly $1.4 billion while moving toward an enrollment-based (FTE) model. This represents a departure from the traditional core funding approach, with a larger share of funding tied directly to student enrollment and performance metrics. Supporters argue the model improves transparency and aligns funding with institutional activity, while critics raised concerns about volatility, regional equity, and potential impacts on smaller or rural institutions with declining enrollment.
Overall, the House proposal signals a transition to tighter budgeting and fewer new investments, with targeted funding decisions across areas such as agriculture and workforce programs. The budget now moves to the Senate, where further revisions are expected ahead of final negotiations.
Missouri Social Media Safety for Minors Act
The House Emerging Issues Committee convened Monday evening to discuss HB 2392 and HB 3393, sponsored by Representatives Marty Joe Murray (D–St. Louis) and Don Mayhew (R–Crocker). The similar bills establish regulations on social media use by minors, including age verification requirements, parental consent provisions, and restrictions on platform features targeting youth. They differ primarily in how restrictive they are. HB 2392 takes a more incremental approach, banning accounts for children under 14 while allowing limited access for ages 14–15 with parental consent and emphasizing privacy protections in age verification. In contrast, HB 3393 is more stringent, restricting independent social media use until age 16, requiring parental involvement up to age 18, and imposing broader limits on advertising and platform features directed at minors. Supporting testimony included a middle school student who described firsthand experiences with cyberbullying and the mental health impacts of social media, as well as a representative from the Missouri Psychological Association and Missouri Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, who emphasized concerns about rising anxiety, depression, and self-harm among youth and the need for stronger safeguards. No opposing testimony was presented.
Civil Jurisprudence
The House Committee on Judiciary met Wednesday afternoon to discuss HB 3116, sponsored by Representative Cameron Parker (R-Campbell). The bill makes minor clerical updates to statute, including correcting outdated references and adding gender-inclusive language. Supporting testimony was provided by the Judicial Conference of Missouri, with no opposition presented to the committee.
Changes in Court Records by Supreme Court Rules
On Wednesday afternoon, the House Judiciary Committee conducted a hearing on House Bill 3289, sponsored by Rep. Cameron Parker (R-Campbell), relating to court operations. The bill makes technical changes to the Statewide Court Automation Fund, and it makes changes to the makeup of the Court Automation Committee. The bill also creates definitions for the statutes related to court records and the statewide court automation system. The definitions include, among others, "case record,” "confidential information,” and "minor child.” The bill requires confidential information and confidential records in a case record to be inaccessible to the general public, as provided under the Missouri Supreme Court rules. The bill makes changes to the information that must be redacted from court documents, including pleadings, attachments, and exhibits. Testifying in support of the bill was Eric Jennings, representing the Judicial Conference of Missouri, who said the bill’s changes in definitions come from a Missouri Supreme Court ruling in December, which takes effect July 1. There was no testimony in opposition. The committee took no action on the bill.
Powers of the State Auditor
The House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs convened Wednesday afternoon to discuss passage of HB 3510, sponsored by Representative John Martin (R-Columbia). The bill states that in instances where a state agency allocates public funds to local governments, regional councils of government, other local groups, or private or semiprivate institutions or agencies, the State Auditor will have the authority to examine the books and records of the recipient of the funds to the extent necessary to supervise the receipt and expenditure of public funds and to determine proper use in accordance with State and Federal laws and regulations. After no discussion, the committee passed the bill by a 14-1 vote.
Expungement
The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence met Wednesday morning to consider passage of SB 854 and SB 1494, sponsored by Senators Brian Williams (D-Ferguson) and Nick Schroer (R-O’Fallon). The bills establish a “clean slate” system in Missouri that automatically expunges certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenses after a person completes a waiting period and remains crime-free. Instead of requiring individuals to file a petition, the state would regularly review records and clear eligible cases, restoring civil rights and limiting how long such records can appear in background checks. The bills also create safeguards allowing courts to block expungement when necessary for public safety, set limits on how many offenses can be cleared, provide liability protections for employers, and fund the technology needed to automate the process. During committee discussion, substitute language was adopted to combine the bills into one legislative vehicle and expand the proposal by adding detailed implementation provisions, including eligibility criteria and limits for automatic expungement, annual reporting requirements to track outcomes, restrictions on how long criminal records can be reported by credit agencies, creation of a dedicated fund to support the necessary technology and administration, and additional changes to criminal justice procedures such as adjustments to record fees and updates to death penalty trial processes. As amended, the committee passed the bill by a 5-0 vote.
Tax Credits for Newspaper Printing Plants
Senate Bill 1209, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Burger (R-Benton), a tax credit bill for newspaper printing plants, was heard by the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee on Wednesday morning. For all tax years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026, this bill authorizes qualifying newspaper printing plants, as defined in the bill, to claim a tax credit in an amount equal to 50 percent of the total compensation paid to pressroom and mailroom staff. Qualified printing plants must be headquartered in Missouri and receive the majority of printing revenue from the printing of newspapers intended for public distribution. Tax credits authorized by SB 1209 shall be refundable and may be transferred, sold, or assigned. The total amount of tax credits that may be authorized in a tax year shall not exceed $7 million. The legislation shall sunset on Aug. 28, 2032, unless reauthorized by the General Assembly. Sen. Burger said newspapers are a critical source of local news and information, especially in rural areas. He said as neighboring states lose printing plants, Missouri should support our state’s printing plants for their business from both in-state and out-of-state. Testifying in support of SB 1209 was Jon Rust, publisher of the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian. Rust said the bill’s priorities include economic development, particularly rural jobs, and civic infrastructure. The bill would help stabilize and retain newspaper printing capacity and skilled production jobs in Missouri by offsetting a portion of payroll costs at in-state newspaper printing facilities. Rust noted that only 11 printing plants remain in Missouri, with plants in Columbia and Park Hills closing in the past year. He said when a plant closes, the sustainability of rural newspapers in Missouri becomes more precarious, and readers still want and rely on printed newspapers. He said those 11 plants have 134 jobs in printing and mailroom, and the projected cost would be about $2.5 million (not $7 million) in tax credits. Once printing leaves Missouri, it will not come back, Rust told the committee. Also testifying in support was Chad Stebbins, executive director of the Missouri Press Association, who noted Missouri has 200 newspapers throughout the state. The tax credit would be huge for newspapers and our readers, Stebbins said. When printing plants close, many newspapers are published out-of-state. “We hate to see those jobs go out-of-state,” he said. He said the bill is important to rural Missouri and to economic development. Testifying in opposition to the bill was Arnie Dienoff, who said a state budget cut of $1 billion could be necessary soon, and “We cannot afford another tax credit of $7 million.” The committee took no action on the bill.
Unmanned Aircrafts
On Wednesday, Representative Mike Jones (R-Kansas City) presented HB 2587 to the Senate Judiciary, Civil, and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. The bill is the House companion to SB 1421. During committee discussion, members asked how law enforcement would distinguish between harmless and threatening drone activity. Testimony from the Missouri State Highway Patrol clarified that restricted airspace would be established for certain events, with authorized drones identified in advance. Unauthorized drones entering controlled airspace could be warned, redirected, or disabled if necessary. Additional supporting testimony was provided by the City of Kansas City and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, all citing public safety needs and the importance of aligning state law with federal authority. A public witness also expressed support for the bill’s intent while raising considerations regarding protections for media use of drones, warning procedures, and potential liability if law enforcement damages a drone. No testimony in opposition was presented.
Copies of Laws, Revised Statutes Printed
On Monday afternoon, the Senate Government Efficiency Committee met in executive session and voted “do pass” on Senate Bill 1470, sponsored by Sen. Mike Bernskoetter (R-Jefferson City), a bill modifying the duties and functions of the Joint Committee on Legislative Research. The committee vote was 4-0. The Joint Committee is required to provide copies of all laws in a web-based electronic format, in addition to the current paper copies that must be made available. Currently, printed copies of laws, resolutions, constitutional amendments and measures are made available at no cost to members of the General Assembly, certain judicial entities, and certain law enforcement entities, but the bill repeals this provision and provides that such copies shall be available for sale by the Joint Committee, and the money received shall be deposited in the Statutory Revision Fund, rather than the General Revenue Fund. Currently, the revised statutes of Missouri are printed only upon the adoption of a concurrent resolution by the General Assembly. SB 1470 repeals the requirement of adopting a concurrent resolution. Instead, if an appropriation is made for the republication of the revised statutes, the General Assembly must adopt a concurrent resolution for such republication. If there is no appropriation for the printing of supplements, then the cost shall be paid by the Statutory Revision Fund.
Unmanned Aircrafts
The Senate dedicated time Tuesday afternoon to debate SB 1421, sponsored by Senator Nick Schroer (R-O’Fallon). The bill makes it illegal to operate drones over prisons, certain large venues, critical infrastructure, and mental health hospitals without authorization, especially for delivering contraband or aiding crimes. Penalties range from infractions to felonies, with exceptions for approved personnel, and law enforcement is empowered to disable threatening drones. During debate, the sponsor amended the bill to narrow its scope and restructure it by focusing primarily on open-air and critical infrastructure facilities, adding new sections that explicitly authorize trained law enforcement (“authorized individuals”) to detect, track, and mitigate threatening drones, and clarifying exemptions for lawful commercial and facility-related drone use. As amended, the Senate provided its first of two necessary approvals. On Wednesday the Senate third read and passed SB 1421 by a vote of 33-0 with an emergency clause. The bill now moves to the House for further consideration.
House-Emerging Issues
3/30/26 4:30 PM or upon adjournment (whichever is later)
Committee Hearing, HR 7
Executive Session:
HB2392 Murray - Establishes the "Missouri Social Media Safety for Minors Act"
HB3393 Mayhew - Establishes the "Missouri Social Media Safety for Minors Act"
