The Missouri Legislature adjourned on May 17. Approximately 2,300 bills and 276 resolutions were filed during the 2024 session. By the end of the session, 46 measures had passed. Only 28 of these were non-budget bills, which marks a low for bill passages during a legislative session in recent history.
This session was marked by infighting among Republicans in the state senate following the emergence of a state Freedom Caucus. Four committee chairs were stripped of their chairmanships due to infighting, including the chairs of the Senate Tax Policy and Economic Development Committee and the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee
Here's what you may have missed:
Budget
On June 28, Governor Mike Parson (R) signed the FY 2025 state budget of $50.5 billion, including $14.9 billion in general revenue. The legislature’s budget shaved $1 billion from Parson’s initial budget proposal. Upon signing the budget, Parson said, "Today, we signed a conservative and balanced budget that focuses on two priorities that we know lift every Missourian up: workforce development and infrastructure.”
One of the budget’s key provisions is $1.5 billion for broadband expansion. This includes $196 million for broadband infrastructure, $20 million for cellular towers, and $15 million for reimbursement to broadband providers for costs incurred on state broadband projects. The budget also appropriates $10 million in FY 2025 to the Department of Economic Development for the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science (CHIPS) Act Program to attract semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers to Missouri.
Education
The legislature passed SB 727, a comprehensive education policy bill, on April 18. It was signed by Governor Parson on May 7. The bill increases the amount of tax credits tied to the Missouri Employment Scholarship Accounts Program from $50 to $75 million and provides for annual increases thereafter. It establishes the Elementary Literacy Fund to provide grants to school districts and charter schools for home reading programs. The bill also revises school term requirements. It requires school districts in charter counties or cities with more than 30,000 inhabitants to have a term of 169 days unless the district has adopted a four-day school week. The bill increases the minimum teacher’s salary to $40,000 annually beginning with the 2025-26 school year and develops an online teacher preparation program.
Governor Parson also signed HB 2287 on May 7. This measure adjusts the calculation of average daily attendance for full-time virtual students engaged in required instructional activities. It also outlines the necessity for collaboration between resident and host school districts to implement an enrollment policy for these students and allow parents or guardians to apply directly to the full-time virtual program for student enrollment. Both SB 727 and HB 2287 take effect on August 28, 2024.
Additional Legislative Highlights
HB 2057 clarifies that the term video service, as it pertains to municipal franchise fees for video service providers, does not include any video programming accessed via a service that enables users to access content over the internet, including streaming content. This measure awaits consideration by Governor Parson.
SB 751 bans pharmaceutical manufacturers, third-party logistics providers, and any agents or affiliates thereof from interfering with a pharmacy's acquisition of 340B drugs. Similar provisions to this measure had been filed in previous legislative sessions but passed both chambers in 2024. This measure awaits consideration by Governor Parson.
What’s Next
The legislature will reconvene on September 11 for a veto session. As of publication, twelve budget bills have been vetoed in part by the governor. In total, 173 line-item vetoes were issued by the governor with a total of $1 billion. Some of the vetoes include $1,000,000 toward the Missouri Career Advising Initiative and $3,200,000 towards the Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Fund to expand services at recovery community centers.
Missouri will elect a new governor in 2024 as Governor Parson is term-limited. The major candidates in the Republican primary, which is scheduled for August 6, include Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, and State Senator Bill Eigel. The favorite for the Democratic Party nomination is Minority Leader of the House Crystal Quade. This governorship is listed as a safe Republican win by most prediction sites. All 163 state house seats and 17 of 34 state senate seats will also be up for election.
Voters could potentially weigh in on six ballot measures. Among the proposals that have garnered enough signatures to be placed on the ballot are initiatives to establish a $15-an-hour minimum wage, provide a right to reproductive freedom, and legalize sports wagering in the state. These initiatives await verification of signatures before being approved for consideration in November.
For updates on the legislature's veto session in September and to stay up to date with the state’s primary elections, please contact Constantine Costidis at cec@stateside.com.