JEFFERSON CITY — Here’s how some major pieces of legislation fared during the Missouri Legislature’s 2024 session:
Passed, signed by governor
Education: Expands an education voucher program that pays for private school expenses, increases funding for public schools and teacher salaries, and permits charter schools in Boone County. (, )
Planned Parenthood: Bars state Medicaid dollars from being used to reimburse Planned Parenthood for health care services. ()
People are also reading…
Low-interest loans: Expands , a state-financed low-interest loan program for small businesses, local governments, agriculture business and farmers. ()
Missouri National Guard in Texas: Funds Missouri National Guard soldiers and Highway Patrol troopers assisting with U.S.-Mexico border security as part of Texas’ Operation Lone Star. ()
Kansas City landfill: After protests by residents, prohibits a landfill from being built close to a Kansas City suburb. ()
Passed, sent to governor
Eviction moratoriums: Prohibits local governments from imposing a moratorium on eviction proceedings. ()
State auditor: Allows the state auditor to launch a probe of cities, fire and ambulance districts, counties and other local units of government without permission from or a request by local voters. ()
Meatpacking sludge: Creates new regulations for the storage of animal waste products for use as fertilizer. ()
Federal Reimbursement Allowance: Extends for five years a tax on hospitals that brings in billions of dollars to the state’s Medicaid program. ()
Veterans: Tasks the Missouri Veterans Commission with developing suicide-prevention measures. (House Bill 1495, Senate Bill 912)
Crime: The omnibus crime bill raises the age that minors can be charged as adults, bars celebratory gunfire in municipalities (known as Blair’s Law), impose tougher penalties for harming or killing police dogs (known as Max’s Law), and create a cyberstalking task force. (, )
Senior property tax freeze: Changes the eligibility for a homeowner property tax freeze for seniors to an age requirement of 62 rather than eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits and prohibit property value caps or means testing for program participation. ()
Not passed
Initiative petitions: Would raise the threshold of votes required to amend the state constitution via citizen-led ballot initiative. ()
Bayer cancer lawsuits: Would protect Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, from lawsuits accusing the company of failing to warn consumers about risks associated with the Roundup weedkiller. ()
Child care tax credits: Would offer certain tax incentives to employers, child care providers, and taxpayers in an effort to expand child care options. (, )
Farmland ownership: Would either reduce the amount of Missouri farmland that can be owned by foreigners or prohibit foreign farmland ownership entirely. (, )
ºüÀêÊÓƵ earnings tax: Would exempt remote workers who live outside ºüÀêÊÓƵ city limits from paying the city’s 1% earnings tax. ()
ºüÀêÊÓƵ police: Would end local control of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Metropolitan Police Department ()
Section 8 housing vouchers: Would prohibit cities from requiring landlords to accept federal housing vouchers. ()
Birth control annual supply: Would require private health insurers in Missouri to cover a full year’s supply of birth control. ()
Child marriage: Would bar marriage for anyone younger than 18. ()
Human trafficking: Would impose felony charges on those who pay for sex and tougher penalties for those who purchase sex with a minor. ()