The Week of May 4, 2026 |
On the Floor The Senate discussed the following bills on the floor:
The Senate third read and passed the following bills this week:
The following bills were truly agreed to and finally passed this week and will be sent to the governor’s desk for his consideration:
Other News Lawmakers send $55.41 billion state budget to governor Missouri lawmakers on May 6 granted final approval to the 16 appropriations bills that make up the total $55.41 billion state budget for the 2027 state fiscal year. The final budget altered the original House version which reallocated higher education funding and could have forced some public colleges and universities to close. It also funds K-12 public schools at a level well below the minimum amount called for by law while increasing funds towards vouchers for K-12 private schools.
The proposal to overhaul how state higher education money is distributed was approved by the House of Representatives but rejected by the Senate. The House plan called for funding to be distributed based solely on student enrollment at each college and university, a change that would have threatened many smaller schools. The final budget stuck with the traditional allocation method that accounts for multiple factors but guarantees a base funding amount from the previous year.
However, the House’s plan for a $10 million increase in support for private school tuition vouchers, which the Senate initially rejected, was restored in final budget negotiations. The Senate previously wanted to keep voucher funding at the $50 million level provided for the current fiscal year, which marked the first time lawmakers authorized direct public funding for K-12 private schools.
While boosting support for private education, the Legislature did not match what state law says should be the minimum funding amount for FY 2027. Due to concerns about underfunding public schools, the appropriations bill for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education barely passed on a vote of 83-68 in the House, garnering just one more vote that the 82 required.
The final budget also fully funds the state’s Medicaid program, including the expanded population that Missouri voters ordered be provided services under a 2020 constitutional amendment.
The Legislature passed the last appropriations bill about 46 hours ahead of the hard May 8 constitutional deadline for finishing the FY 2027 state budget. It marked the first time in eight years that the Legislature completed the budget process early without pushing it to deadline day. The governor must sign the bills into law and issue any line-item vetoes before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
Second court rewrites ballot question for gerrymander vote On April 30, the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District rewrote the ballot language for a pending referendum on the state’s redrawn congressional districts.
The General Assembly changed the congressional map of the Missouri’s eight congressional districts during an Extraordinary Session last fall. Opponents of the plan promptly gathered sufficient signatures on a referendum petition to force the redistricting measure to go on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot.
The original ballot question, written by the secretary of state, said the amendment “repeals Missouri’s existing gerrymandered congressional plan that protects incumbent politicians,” a reference to the previous districts enacted after the 2020 U.S. Census. Responding to a lawsuit challenging that language, the secretary conceded it was likely to prejudice voters in favor of the HB 1, prompting a Cole County circuit judge to rewrite it.
The plaintiffs appealed, noting that while the new version was an improvement, it still contained claims that aren’t supported by the text of HB 1, specifically that the proposed congressional districts “keep more cities … intact, and are more compact.” The three-judge appellate panel agreed and again rewrote the language to strike those claims.
The panel’s revised ballot question now says: “Do the people of the state of Missouri approve the act of the General Assembly entitled ‘House Bill No. 1 (2025 Second Extraordinary Session,’ which repeals Missouri’s existing congressional plan, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more counties intact”?
The status of that statewide vote remains in flux. Although public records confirm the referendum petition has more than enough valid signatures from registered Missouri voters to qualify for the ballot, it has not been certified by the secretary of state’s office.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on May 12 in a separate lawsuit challenging the current interpretation and seeking a court declaration that HB 1 remains suspended pending the outcome of the election.
Court says STL gun storage ordinance ‘void’ under state law On May 5, the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision to strike down a St. Louis City ordinance that prohibits storing firearms in an unattended vehicle, holding that local gun regulations are preempted by state law.
The case involved a man whose firearm was stolen from his vehicle while he was attending church services in the city in 2024. When he called police to report the theft, they told him he needed to do so in person. Upon his arrival at the police station, an officer issued him a citation for allegedly violating the ordinance.
The city prosecutor later dismissed the case without prejudice, a move that left open the possibility of the charge being refiled later. The man then sued to block future enforcement of the city ordinance, arguing it violates a state law granting the Missouri General Assembly the exclusive authority to enact laws and regulations pertaining to firearms and prohibiting local governments from imposing restrictions.
A St. Louis circuit judge agreed the ordinance violated state law, a decision the three-judge appellate panel affirmed. In a unanimous opinion, the court said the city’s firearm storage ordinance is “expressly preempted by (state law), thus rendering the Ordinance void.”
The case, which the city can appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court, is Michael Roth v. City of St. Louis.
Net state revenue down 0.8% 10 months into FY 2026 Net state general revenue collections decreased 0.8% through the first 10 months of the 2026 fiscal year compared to the same period in FY 2025, going from $10.61 billion last year to $10.53 billion this year, according to revenue data the Missouri Division of Budget and Planning released May 5. Net collections had been up 0.7% through the first nine months of the fiscal year.
Net collections during April 2026 decreased 10.7% compared to those for April 2025, going from $1.43 billion last year to $1.28 billion this year. Declines in income tax collections from individuals, corporations and pass-through entities were largely responsible for the revenue drop that month.
The original consensus revenue estimate on which the FY 2026 state budget was based anticipated net general revenue would increase 1.6% by the time the fiscal year ends on June 30. However, due to legislation the governor signed into law last year eliminating income taxes on the sale of stocks and investment property, that estimate was revised downward in December so that the state now anticipates a 2.1% decline in general revenue for FY 2026.
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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. |