{"id":10191,"date":"2026-05-15T18:39:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T23:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/?p=10191"},"modified":"2026-05-15T19:10:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T00:10:47","slug":"missouri-legislature-ends-2026-session-marked-by-gop-wins-fewer-meltdowns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/15\/missouri-legislature-ends-2026-session-marked-by-gop-wins-fewer-meltdowns\/","title":{"rendered":"Missouri legislature ends 2026 session marked by GOP wins, fewer meltdowns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

State Rep. Brandon Phelps, a Republican from Warrensburg, smiles as the Missouri House tosses bills into the air at the adjournment of session Friday (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent).<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Missouri General Assembly adjourned Friday without the factional warfare and late-session meltdowns that have come to define the Capitol in recent years, ending a 2026 session marked less by dysfunction than by a return to legislative basics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Republicans used their supermajorities to advance major pieces of Gov. Mike Kehoe\u2019s agenda, including a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at expanding the sales tax to replace the income tax<\/a>, a ban on intoxicating hemp products<\/a>, a wide-ranging public safety package<\/a> and new abortion<\/a> legislation. Lawmakers also approved a $50.7 billion state budget and a health care bill expanding maternal care, contraception access and telehealth.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the session\u2019s defining feature may have been that the legislature mostly functioned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think we can agree that this session was productive and resulted in monumental wins for many Missourians,\u201d Kehoe told reporters Thursday. \u201cWhile we may not always agree on every issue, I believe Missourians are best served when leaders show up, work hard and stay focused on results. This year, the General Assembly did exactly that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even Democrats who opposed much of the Republican agenda acknowledged the legislature \u2014 and especially the Senate \u2014 operated more smoothly than it has in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a duality to it,\u201d said state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat. \u201cI think we collaborated pretty well. I think it was more bipartisan than most people could probably imagine. But I\u2019m also frustrated that there\u2019s a lot of important things that could have been passed that weren\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Webber said the Senate was more deliberative and more willing to compromise than it has been in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was more the kind of government that it should be,\u201d Webber said.<\/span><\/p>\n

House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, also pointed to bipartisan successes, including bills targeting sex trafficking, expanding benefits for veterans and allowing pregnant women to finalize divorces.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was fair to say that we had some good bipartisan successes this year,\u201d Aune said.<\/span><\/p>\n

But she said those successes were overshadowed by Republicans\u2019 failure to pass broad affordability measures, especially property tax relief.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis session has got to be considered a failure because of majority Republicans\u2019 refusal to do anything to make life more affordable for Missouri families,\u201d Aune said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Kansas City, speaks to reporters following the House\u2019s passage of the state operating budget Wednesday, May 6, 2026 (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The relative calm marked a sharp departure from the tone surrounding recent sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2023, the Missouri Senate collapsed into gridlock on the final day, derailing priorities amid Republican infighting. In 2024, a 41-hour filibuster by the Senate\u2019s Freedom Caucus helped define another turbulent year. In 2025, Senate Republicans used a rarely invoked procedural move to cut off Democratic filibusters and pass measures rolling back voter-approved abortion rights and paid sick leave protections.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2026 session began with similar expectations of conflict. Instead, lawmakers got through the budget on time and gave Kehoe victories on taxes, public safety, abortion and hemp regulation. In fact, the legislature passed more policy bills this session than the last two combined.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the final days were not without some drama.<\/span><\/p>\n

Republican state Sens. Mike Moon of Ash Grove and Joe Nicola of Grain Valley used the filibuster to occasionally slow the chamber Thursday and Friday, upset at bills they believe violate a constitutional prohibition on including multiple subjects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moon was also frustrated that his proposal to enshrine fetal personhood in the Missouri Constitution never gained traction in the GOP-dominated Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking at it primarily from the moral aspect,\u201d Moon said. \u201cIf we truly value lives, we should want to protect each and every one of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the rotunda in the House, a wide-ranging education bill was scuttled in a committee Friday after its chairman, Republican state Rep. Jim Murphy of St. Louis County, was asked to kill it by the archbishop of St. Louis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason for the archbishop\u2019s opposition was a bipartisan provision in the bill stripping oversight of the state\u2019s voucher program from State Treasurer Vivek Malek.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What passed<\/h4>\n

\t<\/strong><\/p>\n

The centerpiece of the GOP agenda was a plan to ask voters to give lawmakers new authority to expand sales and use taxes in order to phase out the income tax. The proposal was the top priority for Kehoe and Republican leaders, who argued Missouri needs to join states that have moved away from taxing income.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMissouri has an opportunity to join a growing number of states that have eliminated the state income tax,\u201d said Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kehoe called the proposal \u201ca transformational moment for our state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about more than just taxes,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about growth. It\u2019s really about competitiveness, and it\u2019s about sending a message across the country that Missouri will compete and Missouri will win.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Democrats argued the plan would shift costs onto working families, seniors and low-income Missourians by relying more heavily on consumption taxes. A lawsuit filed in Cole County after lawmakers approved the proposal argues it should be knocked off the ballot or have its summary rewritten because it bundles too many subjects together and uses misleading language.<\/span><\/p>\n

The only legislation lawmakers must pass each year is the state budget. This year, that job came with tighter margins than lawmakers have grown accustomed to after several years of large surpluses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lawmakers approved a $50.7 billion spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, trimming roughly $300 million from Kehoe\u2019s general revenue proposal while using about $2.3 billion from accumulated surpluses. That leaves approximately $500 million available to help balance the budget when a new General Assembly convenes next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a fiscally responsible budget for fiscal year 2027,\u201d said House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Seneca Republican who cannot return next year because of term limits. \u201cFiscal years 2028, 2029 as you go forward, those are going to have to be looked at individually, and they might have to make different decisions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Luetkemeyer pointed to the budget as evidence lawmakers were able to make hard choices despite diminished flexibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDespite a tighter budget than last year, we still restored $79 million in disability services, $15 million in pregnancy resource centers and prohibited DEI funding in higher education,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Missouri Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville, speaks at a news conference Thursday as Gov. Mike Kehoe watches (Rudi Keller\/Missouri Independent).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Public safety was another area where Republicans claimed major victories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kehoe signed legislation he said would help \u201cstop the revolving door of violent offenders,\u201d strengthen sentence transparency and give the criminal justice system \u201cthe tools needed to keep dangerous individuals off of our community streets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Luetkemeyer said the public safety bill was focused on \u201cprotecting children, holding violent criminals accountable and reducing an early release for dangerous offenders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The package included a ban on nonconsensual distribution of intimate digital depictions, provisions allowing lifetime protection orders for victims of some felonies, a prohibition on cyberstalking and procedures for involuntary outpatient treatment of people with severe mental illness. Earlier in the session, Kehoe signed legislation aimed at cracking down on sex trafficking and helping law enforcement and first responders identify and prevent the crime.<\/span><\/p>\n

Republicans also passed the \u201cBorn-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,\u201d their signature abortion bill of the year. The legislation requires medical care for babies born alive after attempted abortions and creates criminal penalties for violations. Kehoe called it \u201canother testament to Missouri\u2019s pro-life values.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Other measures drew broader support, including legislation clarifying that pregnancy cannot prevent a divorce from being finalized. Kehoe signed that bill in April, saying he was proud to ensure \u201cpregnancy is never a barrier to prevent a woman from seeking a divorce in unsafe situations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The legislature also sent Kehoe a health care bill expanding women\u2019s and maternal health coverage, increasing access to telehealth, allowing women with private insurance to obtain a yearlong supply of contraceptives and requiring licensed child care facilities to maintain allergy treatment policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lawmakers also banned intoxicating hemp products, including THC seltzers and hemp-derived edibles that have proliferated in gas stations, liquor stores and smoke shops. The ban takes effect Nov. 12 and aligns state law with federal restrictions.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What failed<\/h4>\n

\t<\/strong><\/p>\n

Property tax relief was one of the legislature\u2019s clearest failures.<\/span><\/p>\n

After both chambers spent the interim studying the issue, the House and Senate each passed bills requiring separate tax rates for different classes of property \u2014 residential, commercial, agricultural, personal and infrastructure \u2014 to avoid burden-shifting when one type of property rose in value faster than others.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the chambers could not reconcile their differences. A final push to salvage pieces of the plan, including provisions allowing the minimum school levy to be reduced, failed near the end of session.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Aune, the collapse of property tax legislation was one of the clearest examples of a session that functioned better than in recent years but failed to address what Democrats considered the most urgent issue facing families.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn the first day of session, House Democrats said that the absolute top priority for this year must be providing much-needed relief to families struggling to keep up with the ever-rising prices of everything,\u201d Aune said. \u201cBut Democrats don\u2019t set the agenda.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Aune said few constituents were asking lawmakers to eliminate the income tax or raise sales taxes. What they wanted, she said, was property tax relief.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRepublicans have supermajorities in both chambers,\u201d Aune said. \u201cIf something doesn\u2019t pass, it\u2019s because they don\u2019t want that to pass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She also criticized House Republicans for blocking legislation that would have expanded arbitration rights for first responders, arguing lawmakers missed a chance to help police, firefighters and other emergency personnel negotiate over pay, benefits and workplace safety.<\/span><\/p>\n

Efforts to restore Missouri\u2019s presidential primary also collapsed. Missouri last held a presidential primary in 2020, and attempts this year to revive it were stripped out of a larger elections bill. A stand-alone version passed the House and cleared a Senate committee, but never reached the Senate floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video lottery terminals met a similar fate. A proposal to legalize the machines \u2014 and create a new revenue stream for the state \u2014 died in a Senate committee with roughly two weeks left in session. The defeat came as Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has stepped up enforcement against unregulated machines already operating in gas stations and other retail locations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other priorities that failed included Medicaid work requirements, new artificial intelligence regulations and a proposal to grade public schools on an A-to-F scale.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Kehoe, the session was evidence that the Capitol can still deliver.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe session was about making Missouri safer, stronger and more competitive and more accountable to the people we serve,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was about keeping our promises and laying a foundation for growth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But the return to normalcy came with limits. Lawmakers left Jefferson City without resolving property taxes, presidential primaries, video lottery or several education fights, and next year\u2019s budget will begin with far less surplus cash available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, after years when the final days of session were defined by what fell apart, 2026 ended with something rarer: a legislature that gave both parties plenty to argue about, but mostly kept moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Independent\u2019s Rudi Keller contributed to this story.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Click on the link at the top of this article to be taken to the complete article.<\/p>

This post<\/a> was originally published on this site<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Missouri General Assembly adjourned Friday without the factional warfare and late-session meltdowns that have come to define the Capitol in recent years, ending a 2026 session marked less by dysfunction than by a return to legislative basics. Republicans used their supermajorities to advance major pieces of Gov. Mike Kehoe\u2019s agenda, including a proposed constitutional [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":10193,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-missouri-independent","post_format-post-format-link"],"yoast_head":"\nMissouri legislature ends 2026 session marked by GOP wins, fewer meltdowns - WestplexNews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/2026\/05\/15\/missouri-legislature-ends-2026-session-marked-by-gop-wins-fewer-meltdowns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Missouri legislature ends 2026 session marked by GOP wins, fewer meltdowns - WestplexNews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Missouri General Assembly adjourned Friday without the factional warfare and late-session meltdowns that have come to define the Capitol in recent years, ending a 2026 session marked less by dysfunction than by a return to legislative basics. 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