Missouri Bills Stay Unfinished

The Missouri General Assembly finished its regular season business on May 12, by sending over 60 bills to Governor Mike Parson. Representative Josh Hurlbert reports on a few of the items that lawmakers didn’t finish.

“No session bats 1.000 and this year was no different, including some noteworthy misses,” said Hurlbert in his newsletter. “Over 60 pieces of legislation crossed the finish line and are on their way to the Governor's desk, which is the fewest in the past two decades outside the COVID-shortened session of 2020.”

Hulbert lists these subjects that didn’t make it to Governor Parson:

Broad Tax Reform: While SB 190's passage provided important tax relief for seniors, it was a disappointment that broader tax cuts could not have been passed. The state budget has doubled in the past decade - $25 billion in FY 2014 to $50 billion in FY 2024 - and could stand to have some trimming. Coupled with the $6 billion currently in reserve, this would have been an opportune time to build off of the personal income tax cuts passed last fall with a combination of additional personal property, corporate, and personal income tax cuts. Unfortunately, the Senate never took up the House-passed HB 816 & 660, which would have cut income taxes $1.4 billion and let you keep more of your own money.

Initiative Petition Reform: HJR 43 would have given Missourians the option to reform Missouri's initiative petition process to require a 57% majority vote at the ballot to change the Missouri Constitution. Missouri is frequently targeted by deep-pocketed out-of-state groups that continue to exploit our initiative petition process to change our Constitution to further their own agenda. A conference committee had resolved the differences between the House and Senate version, but it never received a final Senate vote.

Education Reform: The momentum that had been building in Missouri after the passage of the MOScholars K-12 Scholarship in 2021 and charter school funding equity in 2022 and the nationwide trend that brought universal school choice to at least six states across the country in the past year was halted this year. Most notably, HB 253 would have allowed students to transfer to a non-resident school district that had seats available for them but couldn't get a vote in the Senate. Additionally, the Parents' Bill of Rights and bills expanding ESAs and virtual schools did not make it through.

Foreign Ownership of Farmland: After all the campaign ads in 2022, the House and Senate passed competing versions banning hostile foreign nations from owning Missouri farmland, but could not reconcile their differences.

Sports Betting: Once again, the sports betting bill could not get past a Senate filibuster and an attempt to tie the issue to legally allowing video lottery terminals in veteran halls and truck stops.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story