Missouri House Update:
The Missouri House spent significant floor time this week debating Governor Mike Kehoe’s top legislative priority: phasing out the state’s individual income tax.
House Speaker Jon Patterson and Representative Davidson’s bills were combined (HJR 173 and HJR 174) in Committee and were ultimately perfected and third read. The measure passed the House by a vote of 98- 54 and now move to the Senate for consideration where it will face additional scrutiny from Senators concerned about the Constitutional Amendment’s impact on state sales tax and a broader base of services that could be subject to taxation. The bill at this time does not contain exemptions for real estate, agriculture or health care.
Missouri Senate Update:
The chamber debated SB 999, sponsored by Senator Brad Hudson, which establishes the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The legislation would require that any child born alive during or after an abortion or attempted abortion be provided the same legal rights and medical care as any other live-born child in Missouri. The bill was ultimately laid over, halting floor debate for the time being.
The Senate spent a significant amount of floor time in a filibuster during the approval of Senate Journal on Wednesday. The slow down was brought about by Senator Brattin’s objection to a Consent bill (SB 1544) sponsored by Senator Nurrenbern, which he knocked off (briefly, as he removed his objection) the Consent calendar which deals with non-controversial issues. Eventually, Senator Brattin took to the mic and inquired of Senator Nurrenbern to express his general frustration at the Democrats for bringing floor movement on legislation to a crawl, which is denying Republicans the ability to move priority legislation. Look for this frustration about pace to continue when the Senate reconvenes after break…
Budget Update:
The Budget Committee wrapped up their work this week. The committee mark-up (amendment) process on the FY 2027 proposed operating budget took a little over 10 hours on Wednesday, with committee members preparing 175 amendments, ultimately adopting 39. The budget bills, HB 2-13, are expected to move to the House floor for debate shortly after returning from the legislative break.
Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee held hearings this week and focused on reviewing the state’s various tax credit programs as part of its ongoing oversight of the state’s spending.
Other News:
Missouri’s legislative session has officially reached its “halfway point”. The week leading into legislative spring break is traditionally one of the busiest periods of the year, as both chambers work to advance priority legislation before lawmakers return to their districts.
At this stage in the legislative session, both chambers have found final agreement on three bills; HB 1908 relating to the dissolution of marriage, HB 2273 legislation aimed at strengthening protections for children and vulnerable individuals and SB 888 which makes modifications to the juvenile justice system. There are 104 bills that have passed the House and now head to the Senate for consideration. As is typical, the Senate has moved fewer measures, fewer than normal with Senate Democrats (primarily) pumping the brakes on legislation and bringing floor action to a crawl. At this time, only 23 bills have passed the Senate chamber and await consideration in the House.
Missouri’s net general revenue collections for February 2026 declined 2.5% compared to February 2025, falling from $879.1 million to $856.9 million.
Despite the monthly decline, fiscal year-to-date collections remain up 1.0%, totaling $8.38 billion. Growth has been driven primarily by increases in individual income tax and sales and use tax revenues, while pass-through entity tax collections experienced a significant decline both for the month and year to date.
2026 Dates of Interest:
March 12-22: Legislative Spring Break (No Session)
Monday, April 6: Easter Holiday (No Session)
Friday, May 8: Deadline to Pass a Balanced Budget for FY 2027
Friday, May 15: Last Day of Session
Wednesday, September 16: Veto Session
Reviewed 2026-03-17