State lawmakers return to Jefferson City on Monday for the second half of the 2025 Missouri legislative session.
The Republican-led legislature now has eight weeks remaining to pass bills.
Here are four things to look for during the rest of this year’s session.
More legislation heading to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk
This time last year, while bills had passed in the House and Senate, none had yet cleared the hurdle of passing both chambers.
In recent sessions, the legislature also passed a smaller number of bills, having only approved 26 non-budget bills last year.
That was due, in part, because of dysfunction in the Senate that isn’t there this year. Members of the far-right Freedom Caucus and Republican leadership have got along as opposed to the standoffs that happened in the past few years.
Speaking earlier during the session, Senate Floor Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parksville, said the Senate was off to a productive start.
“Senate Republicans are setting the pace this session, and we remain focused on delivering conservative results to the people of Missouri,” Luetkemeyer said.
During a press conference right before the legislative spring break, Kehoe also lauded the legislature for its work so far.
“I think the united action that you've seen and the work that you've seen happen with both bodies has been to me just incredible,” Kehoe said.
A lack of division has led to smoother operations on the Senate floor and for multiple bills to already have passed both the House and Senate.
That includes a major priority for Republicans this year, placing the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department under a governor-appointed board.
Kehoe said he intends to sign that bill into law this week.
The legislature has also already passed a supplemental budget bill that would apply for the rest of this fiscal year. Kehoe signed that bill last week.
With eight weeks left, lawmakers are likely to pass more legislation than they have in recent sessions.
A smaller budget is likely
One thing the legislature must always accomplish is the passage of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
What the final budget looks like will probably be quite different than in sessions past.
The past few years, the legislature has passed record-breaking budgets – aided by a surplus of federal dollars including from the American Rescue Plan Act and the infrastructure bill.
Money from the American Rescue act had to be allocated by the end of last year. That money must be spent by the end of 2026.
This means Missouri has less to work with this year to fund other projects and its current obligations.
While the budget has yet to go through the House, where it always begins, Kehoe outlined some of his budget priorities during his State of the State address.
Overall, Kehoe’s proposed operating budget totals around $50 billion. Last year’s final budget was $51.7 billion.
Kehoe’s proposal includes a 1% pay increase for state workers for every two years of service, with someone who’s been an employee 20 years receiving a 10% boost.
One area likely to see less than what was asked for is education. Kehoe’s proposal for education falls short of fully funding the state’s formula for K-12.
The House has yet to pass its version of the budget out of committee. However, the budget recommendations of House Budget Chair Dirk Deaton, R-Seneca, call for a total operating budget that is roughly $2.4 billion less that Kehoe’s.
Once the House passes its version, it then goes to the Senate for possible changes.
Last year, the budget process was cut short after a later than normal start, leaving no room for a conference committee between the two chambers.
Tax bills up for debate
Another priority for Kehoe is the reduction and eventual phasing out of the state income tax.
“Missourians can spend their money a whole lot better than government, and I hope you will work with me to help Missouri families secure a better future for themselves … a future with no income taxes,” Kehoe said.
The reduction of taxes has been the subject of multiple bills making their way through the legislature.
The House alone has passed legislation that would reduce the assessment for personal property taxes and a bill reducing income taxes.
House Speaker Jon Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, touted the tax bills during a press conference right before break.
“Though we can't do much about the inflation that people are feeling, I think letting people keep more money in their pockets is the right thing to do,” Patterson said.
Both of those bills still need to make it through the Senate where they are likely to receive Democratic pushback.
Speaking on the legislation related to personal property taxes before it passed the House, Rep. Kemp Strickler, D-Lee's Summit, argued against the characterization by Republicans that the legislation wasn’t a tax reduction.
“This is indeed a reduction in the amount of money going back to school districts, the amount of money going to fire and ambulance districts,” Strickler said.
Action on voter-approved legislation and amendments
Missourians in November approved several constitutional amendments and a statute change.
Now, months later, lawmakers are considering changing or repealing some of those voter-approved measures.
Voters approved Proposition A with 57% of the vote. The statute raises the minimum wage to an eventual $15 an hour in 2026. It also mandates paid sick leave for employees.
However, the House passed a bill that would completely repeal the mandated sick leave and remove the possibility of future minimum wage increases in 2027 and beyond.
Defending the bill, Patterson said he believes it’s a compromise.
“We want to keep the minimum wage piece in place. We don't want to delay that, but the onerous burdens of the sick leave part, I think we're compromising with the people and saying this really is not sustainable,” Patterson said.
The legislation must make its way through the Senate, where Minority Leader Doug Beck, D-Affton, said legislation changing Proposition A is a “red line” for him personally.
Another question is whether Republicans will try to put forth a proposed amendment that would repeal or change Amendment 3, which overturned the state’s near total abortion ban.
Missourians passed Amendment 3 with 51.6% of the vote.
Currently, such an amendment has not made it through the committee stage on the House side. In the Senate, one bill has made it through committee but hasn’t gotten debate time on the Senate floor.
In February, Beck said time and time again Republicans try to reverse the will of Missouri voters.
“When those things happen and come up, we can have better discussions on it, but right now, we're behind the voters. We try to support what the voters voted for,” Beck said.
Any proposed amendment changing or removing Amendment 3, if passed by the legislature, would also have to get approval from voters.
