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The Week of Feb. 16, 2026

On the Floor

The following bill was discussed on the Senate floor this week:

The Senate gave first round approval to these bills:

The Senate third read and passed the following bills, sending them to the House of Representatives:

Bills and Committees

Senator May’s Legislation:

I’m proud to say Senate Bill 945 was passed by the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence this week. Currently, any circuit court may collect a civil case filing surcharge of an amount not to exceed $15 for the maintenance of a law library, the county's or circuit's family services and justice fund, or courtroom renovation and technology enhancement. This bill allows the circuit court in the City of St. Louis to charge a filing surcharge up to $20.

Judiciary Committee:        

The committee heard several bills this week:

Commerce Committee:

This week, the committee did not hear new bills, but did pass a few bills that were heard previously:

Appropriations Committee:

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

Other News

House narrowly votes to legalize unregulated slot machines

Five days after a federal judge ruled unregulated slots machines are illegal gambling devices under Missouri law, the House of Representatives voted 83-66 on Feb. 16 to legalize them. However, the measure, which passed with just one more vote than the minimum 82 required, is considered dead in the Senate, where it is reported the bill has no path to passage.

Unregulated slots have proliferated at gas stations, bars and other locations in Missouri over the last decade. Although the Missouri Gaming Commission, which oversees the state’s licensed casinos, and the State Highway Patrol have long considered the machines, known as video lottery terminals, to be illegal gaming devices, companies that provide them claimed they occupy a legal gray area. As a result, many local prosecutors declined to pursue cases against them.

However, a U.S. District Judge’s Feb. 13 declaration that the machines do indeed violate Missouri law could change the enforcement landscape. The ruling came in a civil lawsuit against Torch Electronics, a main purveyor of unregulated slots, brought by a competitor, TNT Amusements, that doesn’t offer the machines and claimed it has suffered financial harm by unfair competition from them.

House Bill 2989 would grant authority for regulating and licensing VLTs to the Missouri Lottery Commission. It also would limit the number of gaming machines allowed at a single location and require them to be in a separate area of the establishment that isn’t accessible to children. In addition, it would set tax rates and impose licensing fees on VLT operators.

Missouri lawmakers have deadlocked for years over how to best address VLTs, with some wanting to ban the machines outright and others preferring the regulate-and-tax route. With Senate leaders appearing resistant to moving House Bill 2989 through the upper chamber, it appears the issue won’t be resolved this year.

House moves to treat intoxicating hemp like marijuana

On Feb. 19, the Missouri House of Representatives approved legislation that would subject currently unregulated intoxicating hemp products to the same requirements as legalized marijuana sold in licensed dispensaries, which could effectively outlaw them. The measure advanced to the Senate, where similar legislation already has stalled, on a vote of 109-34, with six lawmakers voting “present.”

Congress inadvertently created a legal loophole allowing for the products in 2018 when it legalized industrial hemp and prohibited states from barring the sale of products derived from it. While industrial hemp itself isn’t intoxicating, products derived from hemp can contain high concentrations of THC, the high-producing chemical also found in marijuana. However, Congress closed that loophole late last year, paving the way for states to regulate hemp products starting in November.

By treating intoxicating hemp products the same as marijuana, House Bill 2641 would essentially ban them since the state constitution requires marijuana sold in Missouri to be grown in-state and hemp products primarily are produced elsewhere. Currently, unregulated hemp products are commonly sold at convenience stores, smoke shops and other retail locations while marijuana can only be purchased from state-licensed dispensaries.

Supporters of HB 2641 argue regulation is necessary because hemp products currently aren’t subject to the same purity standards as licensed marijuana and are legal to sell to children, though some stores self-impose minimum age requirements. They also say that using the same regulatory framework already in place for marijuana makes sense and would ensure both it and hemp compete on a level playing field.

Opponents of the bill counter that they are open to regulation, particularly prohibiting hemp sales to children, but that such regulations should be narrowly tailored to preserve the existing industry and not force it from the state. The Senate set aside legislation to regulate intoxicating hemp on Feb. 12 following a two-hour filibuster by a senator supportive of the industry.

Judge rules governor had power to call redistricting session

On Feb. 13, a Cole County circuit judge ruled that the Missouri Constitution grants the governor broad authority to call an extraordinary legislative session on any subject he deems necessary. The decision came in a longshot lawsuit claiming the governor wasn’t constitutionally authorized to call lawmakers back to the Capitol last fall to pass bills on congressional redistricting and the initiative petition process.

The constitutional provision authorizing the governor to call an extraordinary session says: “On extraordinary occasions he may convene the general assembly by proclamation, wherein he shall specifically state each matter on which action is deemed necessary.”

The Missouri NAACP sued, arguing that neither redrawing Missouri’s congressional districts mid-decade to further favor Republicans in the 2026 elections nor amending the constitution to essentially nullify the initiative petition process constituted an “extraordinary occasion” justifying a special session.

However, since the Legislature ordinarily is only convened in regular session from January through May, it has long been accepted that the governor has the power to convene the Legislature at any time during the rest of the year on any topic he chooses.

In his ruling, the circuit judge agreed that the traditional interpretation of the governor’s authority is the correct one. Although the question had never previously been litigated in Missouri courts, he cited rulings from courts in other states with similar constitutional provisions that reached the same conclusion.

“[T]he governor has the constitutional discretion to decide whether an extraordinary occasion exists, to decide whether or not to proclaim an extraordinary session of the legislature, and then to decide what action is deemed necessary to address it,” he wrote.

Opponents of the redistricting plan launched a successful referendum petition to block the new districts from taking effect until, and unless, voters approve them at the Nov. 3 general election, when the measure to nullify the initiative process also will be on the ballot.

The case, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Missouri State Conference, et al. v. Gov. Mike Kehoe, et al., could still be appealed to a higher court.

Bill to overhaul property tax laws sent back for revisions

A week after granting preliminary approval to a major overhaul of state laws governing property taxes, on Feb. 17 the Missouri House of Representatives decided the bill needed further work and voted to send it back to committee for revisions instead of advancing it to the Senate.

House Bill 2780 would make numerous changes to how assessed property values are calculated for tax purposes, as well as restrict when public elections to increase property taxes can be held and set various regulations on how those elections are conducted. In moving to send the bill back to committee, its sponsor said various concerns raised after initial passage justified having the panel take another look. 

The bill returns to the Special House Committee on Property Tax Reform, which previously approved it Feb. 5. Under House rules, all previous changes to the bill automatically are stripped away, enabling the committee to start anew with the original version.

House approves eliminating motor vehicle safety inspections

The Missouri House of Representatives advanced legislation on Feb. 16 to eliminate motor vehicle safety inspections as of Jan. 1, 2027. The bill moved to the Senate on a vote of 104-43, with five members voting “present.”

Supporters of House Bill 1838 say modern vehicles are built to more stringent safety standards than they were decades ago, rendering regular inspections an unnecessary cost and inconvenience since it can be difficult to get an appointment at a shop that performs them. Opponents say regular inspections of older vehicles help ensure they are safe, reducing accidents and preventing injuries and fatalities.

Since 2019, state law has required inspections for vehicles that are more than 10 years old or have been driven in excess of 150,000 miles. That marked a substantial loosening of the old requirement that most vehicles had to be inspected every two years when their license plates were renewed. Inspections cost a flat fee of $12, although costly repairs sometimes can be necessary to pass inspection.

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.