Speed limit increase, income tax question headline the 100 bills passed in Missouri as legislative session ends
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Around 6 p.m. Friday, lawmakers threw their papers in the air and began filing out of the House chamber after the Missouri General Assembly wrapped up its 2026 legislative session.
Missouri lawmakers passed 100 bills during the session, the highest total since 2019 and a sharp increase from the 81 bills approved during the 2025 session. The total includes 42 House bills, 41 Senate bills, and 17 appropriations bills.
Bills that passed Friday include SB 1408, which cleared the House by a 93-46 vote. The bill will allow officials to increase the speed limit to 75 miles per hour on rural, divided highways where the limit is currently 70 mph.
Another bill that passed Friday with overwhelming bipartisan support was SB 1135, also known as “Bentley and Mason’s Law.” Of the 129 votes cast in the House, only two lawmakers voted against it.
The bill requires courts to order anyone convicted of a DWI crash that kills a child’s parent to make child maintenance payments within one year after being released from prison.
The House also passed SB 1421, which automatically expunges misdemeanors after one year and nonviolent felonies after three years. The bill also places restrictions on flying drones and unmanned aircraft over stadiums.
One of the most significant measures to advance during the 2026 session was a proposed constitutional amendment that would ask Missouri voters in August or November whether to eliminate the state income tax.
Supporters say the proposal could attract new businesses to Missouri and leave more money in residents’ pockets. Critics, however, argue it would shift the tax burden onto lower- and middle-income Missourians through expanded sales taxes.
Following the end of the session, Missouri House Democrats held a press conference, while House Republicans did not. Much of Democrats’ media availability focused on Gov. Mike Kehoe’s income tax proposal, which was advanced by Republican lawmakers.
“We're confident that when the GOP sales tax hike goes on the statewide ballot, voters will overwhelmingly reject it and punish Republican candidates who supported it,” House Minority Leader Ashley Aune said.
Aune also added she believes Democratic voter turnout will be the highest the state has seen in years.
However, Aune did praise some of the bipartisan legislation passed during the session, highlighting a bill that was signed into law by Kehoe that prohibits pregnancy from preventing a divorce from being finalized.
