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March 2026 Session Recap |
Week of March 30, 2026 This week, the following bills were discussed on the Senate floor:
The Senate granted first round approval to the following legislation:
The Senate third read and passed the following bills this week:
Commerce Committee: The committee heard three bills this week. House Bill 2383 would modify the definition of “critical infrastructure facility” to include wireline telecommunication networks, infrastructure or facilities in addition to wireless telecommunication networks, infrastructure or facilities, and modifies the offense of damage of a critical infrastructure facility to add if he or she recklessly damages, destroys or tampers with a critical infrastructure facility or removes any component of the facility excluding equipment. House Bill 2397 would modify requirements for the dissolution of a public water supply district. Senate Bill 1411 would create the Electrical Choice and Competition Law regarding a competitive retail electricity market. Week of March 23, 2026 The Senate third read and passed these bills:
Senator May’s Legislation: I am proud to say two of my bills were passed by the Senate and sent to the House of Representatives for their consideration. Senate Bill 944 would authorize the sheriff of the City of St. Louis to set the yearly salary for the attorney for the sheriff, within a reasonable salary range of $15,000 to $75,000 per year. This legislation was passed by the Senate on March 24 as a consent bill and received a unanimous vote to send it to the House. The Senate passed Senate Bill 945 on March 25. This legislation would allow the circuit court of St. Louis City to collect a civil case filing fee of an amount not to exceed $20, rather than $15, for certain uses, including the maintenance of a law library.
Week of March 9, 2026 The following bills were discussed on the Senate floor:
The Senate third read and passed the following bills:
Senator May’s Legislation: On March 9, two of my bills were passed by committee. Senate Bill 943 was voted do pass by the Senate Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee. This legislation would help our communities with the issue of nuisance actions related to property violating city codes or ordinances, or that is structurally unsafe, by fining the owner for the violations. Senate Bill 1025 was passed by the Senate Families, Seniors and Health Committee. This bill would require the elder abuse and neglect hotline operated by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to be operated continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss these important measures on the Senate floor.
Other News
Bill to regulate intoxicating hemp products sent to governor
The Missouri House of Representatives on April 2 granted final approval to legislation subjecting currently unregulated intoxicating hemp products to the same requirements as legalized marijuana sold in licensed dispensaries.
The House sent the measure, House Bill 2641, to the governor on a vote of 126-23, with three lawmakers voting “present.” The Senate voted 25-5 in favor of the bill two days earlier.
Last year, Congress closed a legal loophole that it inadvertently created in 2018 when it legalized industrial hemp and prohibited states from barring the sale of products derived from it. While industrial hemp itself isn’t intoxicating, derived products can contain high concentrations of THC, the high-producing chemical also found in marijuana. The change in federal law paves the way for states to regulate hemp products starting in November.
At present, unregulated hemp products commonly are sold in convenience stores, smoke shops and other retail locations. By treating those products the same as marijuana, HB 2641 would essentially ban them since the state constitution requires marijuana sold in Missouri to be grown in-state while hemp products are primarily produced elsewhere.
Senate changes include delaying the effective date of the legislation until November when the federal ban takes effect and prohibiting dispensaries from creating or retaining records containing a customer’s identifying information without their written permission.
Supporters of HB 2641 argue regulation is necessary because hemp products aren’t subject to the same purity standards as licensed marijuana and it is currently legal to sell them to children, though some stores self-impose minimum age requirements. They also say that using the same regulatory framework already in place for marijuana makes sense and would ensure both it and hemp compete on a level playing field.
Opponents of the bill say they are open to regulation, particularly prohibiting hemp sales to children, but counter that such regulations should be narrowly tailored to preserve the existing industry and not force it from the state.
Senate committee considers plan to increase sales taxes
On April 1, the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee considered legislation championed by the governor to make changes to Missouri’s tax code that opponents argue would significantly increase the tax burden on most Missourians, despite the claims to the opposite. The House of Representatives previously passed the measure March 12 on a near party-line vote of 98-54.
House Joint Resolution 173 & 174 would alter existing state sales tax laws on services or real estate transactions and broadly authorize lawmakers “to impose taxes on transactions involving any goods and services.” The measure also would exempt sales tax expansions from being subject to provisions of the Hancock Amendment that prohibit lawmakers from imposing major tax increases without voter approval, and override restrictions constitutionally earmarking revenue from taxes on motor vehicle sales for road and bridge projects.
The revenue generated from such expansions of sales taxes would be used to eliminate the state’s individual income tax, which currently provides about two-thirds of the state’s General Revenue Fund, or about $9.33 billion for the upcoming 2027 fiscal year. Many believe this move would do nothing more than shift the tax burden from affluent Missourians to lower- and middle-income taxpayers, who would pay more in overall taxes.
The ballot language written into the measure says it would “modernize” the sales tax. Opponents argue it would increase and expand it. They also worry the language fails to mention the nullifying of the existing constitutional prohibitions against taxing services or real estate transactions or overruling restrictions on increasing taxes without voter approval.
The Senate committee took no immediate action on HJR 173 & 174, but is expected to advance it to the full chamber for debate since it is one of the governor’s top priorities. If it wins final legislative approval, it automatically would go on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot for voter ratification.
Ruling allowing congressional districts to take effect appealed
Contradicting more than a century of practice and legal precedent, a Cole County judge on March 27 said that legislation enacted last fall creating new congressional districts is in effect even though opponents of the measure filed a referendum to force the issue on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot. The plaintiffs in the case appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court on March 31.
A referendum petition allows voters to force a statewide vote on legislation passed by the legislature. It is the cousin of the more frequently used initiative petition, which allows legislation to be proposed and placed on the ballot independently of lawmakers.
Since the Missouri Constitution says measures referred to the ballot “shall take effect when approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon, and not otherwise,” it has always been the practice to suspend legislation subject to a referendum from taking effect until and unless approved by voters. However, the secretary of state declared the new congressional districts in effect on Dec. 11, despite the referendum petition blocking it that had been submitted days earlier.
The circuit judge ruled that the plaintiffs who challenged Hoskins’ decision lacked the legal standing to do so. While a dismissal on such grounds typically ends a case without a ruling on the merits, a decision was issued anyway.
The judge ruled House Bill 1, approved during a second extraordinary session in 2025, isn’t suspended because the referendum hasn’t been certified. However, since the secretary of state has until early August to do so, allowing HB 1 to take effect now – with filing complete and campaigns well underway – could sow chaos as to what districts are in use for this year’s elections. Avoiding such confusion is why Supreme Court precedent dating to 1914 holds that the filing of a referendum petition blocks a measure from becoming law until approved by voters.
The unprecedented mid-decade redrawing of Missouri’s congressional districts last was widely believed to be an attempt to squeeze another Republican seat out of the state’s congressional delegation, which currently has a partisan split of six Republicans and two Democrats. Missouri previously had redrawn its congressional districts in 2022 and wasn’t scheduled to do so again until after the 2030 Census.
Numerous lawsuits have spawned from the legislation including one the Supreme Court decided March 24, upholding the authority of lawmakers to draw new congressional districts outside of the normal 10-year cycle. The case involving the referendum petition is Jake Maggard, et al., v. State of Missouri, et al.
House rejects $4 million expansion of virtual adult education
The Missouri House of Representatives on April 2 overwhelmingly rejected legislation that sought to expand virtual education programs for adults without high school diplomas. The measure was defeated with bipartisan opposition on a vote of 55-95, falling well short of the 82 “yes” votes needed to advance to the Senate.
House Bill 3239’s $4 million price tag appears to have played a role in its failure, coming at a time when lawmakers already are cutting K-12 public schools budgets by $190 million less than the minimum funding level called for by state law.
Funding for capital improvement projects moves to Senate
One week after approving its version of the $50 billion state operating budget for the 2027 fiscal year, the Missouri House of Representatives on April 2 approved four more appropriations bills to add another $2.45 billion in spending authority for capital improvement projects.
Although some of the projects in the bill are new, most of the additional spending authority is to complete projects already underway. All of the appropriations bills are now in the Senate, which will craft its version of the FY 2027 budget in the coming weeks. Lawmakers must grant final approval to the bills by a May 8 constitutional deadline.
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CONTACT INFORMATION |
Thank you for your interest in the legislative process. I look forward to hearing from you on the issues that are important to you this legislative session. If there is anything my office can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 573-751-3599. |
