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The Week of Jan. 19, 2026

Bills and Committees

Senator May’s Legislation:

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, I presented Senate Bill 944 to the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee. Under current law, the salary range for attorney for the sheriff of the City of St. Louis is between $3,000 and $15,000 per year. My legislation would increase this salary range to between $15,000 and $75,000 per year.

Judiciary Committee:

The committee heard four bills this week. 

Appropriations Committee:

This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee reviewed the governor’s fiscal year 2026 supplemental budget. 

Other News

Panel approves measure to weaken Medicaid protections

On Jan. 20, the House Legislative Review Committee voted 5-3 in favor of a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to undo the Medicaid expansion protections Missouri voters ratified in 2020. The measure can now advance to the full House of Representatives.

After years of the Missouri General Assembly refusing to expand Medicaid eligibility under the federal Affordable Care Act, voters took the matter into their own hands and amended the state constitution to mandate implementation. Key provisions of the expansion amendment require the state to maximize the federal Medicaid funds available to Missouri and prohibit the state from discriminating against the expanded population in terms of funding allocation.

House Joint Resolution 154 would repeal both provisions while constitutionally imposing work requirements on Medicaid participants. Critics of the measure noted that most beneficiaries of the program already work and are on the program because they don’t earn enough to afford health care. They also contend verifying work status would impose costly bureaucratic hurdles. If HJR 154 clears the legislature, it would automatically appear on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot for voter consideration.

Committee hears bills to extend transgender restrictions 

On Jan. 20, the House Emerging Issues Committee heard a slew of bills seeking to extend two laws set to expire next year that separately make it illegal to provide gender transition care to minors and prohibit transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that don’t correspond with their birth gender.

The General Assembly enacted both laws in 2023, but the restrictions were scheduled to sunset in 2027 as part a compromise to overcome minority resistance in the Senate. Legislation to lift those expiration dates failed to win final passage last year, prompting supporters to try again this session.

The committee considered four bills to eliminate the sunset provision on the medical care prohibition, along with three bills to make the sports participation ban permanent. As is typical on this issue, opponents vastly outnumbered supporters during the public hearing, with the comment period lasting several hours.

The hearing came one week after the Missouri Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law banning gender transition care. Since the ban took effect and those services became unavailable in Missouri, many families with transgender children subsequently relocated to other states where such care remains accessible.

Judge dismisses lawmakers’ challenge to KC stadiums bill

On Jan. 16, a Cole County judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a state law enacted over the summer to provide taxpayer subsidies for professional sports stadiums, ruling the two lawmakers and conservative activist who filed the case lacked legal standing to do so.

The challenged legislation, Senate Bill 3 (2025), was intended to provide incentives for the Kansas City Chiefs to renovate Arrowhead Stadium and for the Kansas City Royals to build a new stadium at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion over 30 years for both projects. However, the Chiefs later announced plans to relocate across the border to Kansas while baseball’s Royals, who also have considered a Kansas move, remain publicly non-committal about their plans.

In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs alleged SB 3 violates a constitutional prohibition against granting public money to private individuals or organizations. However, Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled none of the plaintiffs could claim taxpayer standing to file the case under Missouri Supreme Court precedent. Although taxpayers can challenge direct expenditures of public funds, the court has established different standards regarding indirect spending, such as the tax credits provided under SB 3.

The judge also rejected the claim to legislative standing to challenge the law, noting there is no statute or case law recognizing such standing in Missouri. The case, which could be appealed to the Supreme Court, is Mike Moon, et al., v. State of Missouri, et al.

Legislation would clarify pregnant women can get divorced

On Jan. 20, the House Children and Families Committee considered legislation to clarify in state law that judges cannot deny granting a divorce or legal separation merely because one spouse is pregnant.

Although state law doesn’t require delaying divorce proceedings due to pregnancy, judges commonly do so anyway because of the implications a pregnancy has on child support and custody issues. However, those seeking to end the practice note it can keep a pregnant woman legally tethered to a physically abusive spouse, putting her life and safety at risk.

The committee heard two bills on the subject, including House Bill 2337. It states that “pregnancy status shall not prevent the court from entering a judgment of dissolution of marriage or legal separation.” A similar bill won unanimous support in the House of Representatives last year but died late in the legislative session in the Senate.

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.