Senator Karla May's May Report for the Week of Feb. 9, 2026

Friday, February 13, 2026


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The Week of Feb. 9, 2026

On the Floor

The Senate discussed several bills on the floor this week, including:

  • Senate Bill 888 would permit a prosecuting or circuit attorney or the office of the attorney general, if the attorney general is acting as a special prosecuting attorney, to make a motion and present evidence that a child between the ages of 14 and 18 has committed a felony and the case should be transferred from juvenile court to a court of general jurisdiction. 
  • Senate Bill 917 would create provisions relating to a post-consumer paint recycling program.
  • Senate Bill 1003 would modify several provisions relating to military affairs.
  • Senate Bill 904 would modify the definition of “industrial hemp” and establish the "Intoxicating Cannabinoid Control Act,” defining hemp-derived cannabinoid products as marijuana and regulated as marijuana by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.


This week, the Senate gave first round approval to Senate Bill 974, which would modify provisions relating to compensation for services rendered in veteran benefits matters.

 

The following bills were passed by the Senate this week:

  • Senate Bill 1020 would allow the director of the Missouri Department of Revenue to enter into fee office contracts with a political subdivision, service organization or other reputable business to become the agent, so long as a competitive bid is not received by the department through the initial bidding process.
  • Senate Bill 890 would require state departments to report on obsolete administrative entities, such as state boards, task forces and commissions, repeal certain administrative entities and repeal and reassign duties for certain other administrative entities. 
  • Senate Bill 994 would protect taxpayers from being liable to penalties or interest on an income tax balance if they were denied part or all of a tax credit due to lack of available funds.
  • Senate Bill 914 would modify provisions relating to sewage regulation. 

 

Bills and Committees

Senator May’s Legislation:

I was proud to present Senate Bill 1025 to the Senate Families, Seniors and Health Committee this week, which 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.

 

Judiciary Committee:

  • Senate Bill 1140 would modify provisions relating to civil actions for childhood sexual abuse, including the statute of limitations for such actions.
  • Senate Bill 1392 would add that a person commits first degree murder if they knowingly deliver or distribute fentanyl or carfentanil, and death results from the use of such substances.
  • Senate Joint Resolution 93 would, if approved by voters, allow retrospective laws for certain civil actions relating to sexual abuse of a child.

 

Commerce Committee:

  • Senate Bill 954 would restrict an electrical corporation’s authority to condemn property from extending to the construction of any structure or facility that uses wind or solar energy to generate or manufacture electricity.
  • Senate Bill 1009 would require at least one member of the Clean Water Commission to be knowledgeable regarding the needs of publicly owned wastewater treatment works.
  • Senate Bill 1060 would modify provisions relating to public water supply districts.
  • Senate Bill 960 would repeal and create provisions relating to the members of the Clean Water Commission. 

 

Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee:

  • Senate Bill 1119 would create procedures for the General Assembly to appoint commissioners to a convention called under Article V of the U.S Constitution.
  • Senate Concurrent Resolution 14 recognizes and celebrates the special relationship between the United States and Ireland.

 

Appropriations Committee:

The following departments and offices shared their funding requests for the fiscal year 2027 state operating budget in this week’s hearing:

  • Department of the National Guard
  • Department of Agriculture
  • Department of Conservation
  • Department of Labor and Industrial Relations 
  • Lieutenant Governor's office
  • Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Department of Corrections

 

Other News 

House Majority Party attempts do-over on ballot language do-over law

Members of the House Majority Party are trying again to enact a law the Missouri Supreme Court struck down last month giving the secretary of state three chances to rewrite ballot language before a court can step in to craft a fair ballot question.

 

House Bill 3146 seeks to restore most of the provisions of Senate Bill 22 (2025), which the General Assembly passed last year to limit judicial tinkering with false or misleading ballot language crafted by the Legislature or secretary of state. On Jan. 23, the Supreme Court struck down SB 22 for violating a constitutional prohibition against multi-subject bills since it contained an unrelated provision granting the attorney general special authority to immediately appeal injunctions blocking the enforcement of state laws.

 

House Bill 3146, which the House Elections Committee heard Feb. 10, excludes the injunction provision and is limited to the portions of SB 22 related to ballot language. The key provision of both bills requires judges who find challenged ballot language deficient to give the secretary of state up to three more tries to craft a version that passes legal muster. If the secretary of state fails to do so after the third attempt, only then would the trial judge be allowed to write the ballot question.

 

Supporters of the bill point to a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal protections for reproductive rights that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot as proof that the do-over process worked during the brief time SB 22 was in effect. In that case, a trial judge invalidated the ballot language as unfair. After rejecting the secretary of state’s first rewrite, the judge signed off on the secretary’s second version.

 

However, the back-and-forth between the trial judge and secretary of state ultimately accomplished nothing but wasting time, since on appeal, the Missouri Court of Appeals-Western District ruled both got it wrong and finally crafted a fair ballot question for the measure.

 

Opponents of HB 3146 said wasting time to prevent cases from being fully adjudicated before an election is the bill’s main purpose. It failed with the anti-abortion measure because the Legislature passed it about 18 months before the general election, leaving plenty of time for the extended challenge to play out. However, when lawmakers approve placing a measure before voters just a few months ahead of an election, as commonly happens in election years, the new process could be used to thwart ballot language challenges.

 

The committee took no immediate action on the bill, which is expected to be a Majority Party priority. However, even if it passes both legislative chambers this year and the governor signs it into law, it would be too late for it to have an impact on the 2026 election cycle.

 

Push to gut key Medicaid expansion protection

On Feb. 11, the Missouri House of Representatives granted first-round approval to a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal a key portion of the Medicaid expansion measure Missouri voters ratified in 2020, and essentially grant the Legislature the authority to make funding for the expanded population optional – something lawmakers attempted in 2021 before being rebuffed by the state Supreme Court.

 

During debate on House Joint Resolution 154, its sponsor mischaracterized it as merely codifying in the state constitution a new federal law championed by the president to impose work requirements on able-bodied Medicaid recipients. Until pressed by representatives in the Minority Party, the sponsor did not mention that it would also repeal an existing constitutional protection prohibiting lawmakers from discriminating against the expanded population of Medicaid beneficiaries.

 

The federal Affordable Care Act authorized states to expand Medicaid eligibility to 138% of the federal poverty level, with the federal government paying 90% of that cost. After nearly a decade of Missouri refusing to implement expansion, voters forced the issue in 2020 by ratifying an amendment constitutionally mandating it.

 

During the following legislative session, members of the Majority Party nonetheless tried to thwart expansion by refusing to appropriate the mostly federal funds needed to provide benefits for the expanded population. The obstruction quickly collapsed after the Supreme Court ruled the newly amended state constitution prohibited them from doing so.

 

House Joint Resolution 154 would remove that constitutional impediment, allowing future lawmakers to effectively eliminate Medicaid expansion by defunding it. If approved by both legislative chambers, HJR 154 automatically go on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot for voter approval.

 

House approves bill clarifying that pregnant women can divorce

On Feb. 12, the Missouri House of Representatives voted 147-0 to make it clear in state law that judges cannot deny granting a divorce or legal separation merely because one spouse is pregnant. The bill now advances to the Senate, where a similar House bill died last year for lack of action.

 

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

 

House Bills 1908 & 2337 both state that “pregnancy status shall not prevent the court from entering a judgment of dissolution of marriage or legal separation.”

 

House votes to extend law banning gender transition care 

A state law set to expire next year making it illegal to provide gender transition care to minors would become permanent under legislation the Missouri House of Representatives approved Feb. 12 on a vote of 102-40. The measure, House Bill 2033, now advances to the Senate.

 

The General Assembly enacted the prohibition on gender-affirming care in 2023, but added a provision sunsetting the law in 2027 as part a compromise to overcome Minority Party resistance in the Senate. Legislation to eliminate the sunset failed to win final passage last year, prompting supporters of the ban to try again this year.

 

The Missouri Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the original law last month. 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.

 

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.