From March 13-23, spring break for the 2026 Session of the Missouri Legislature provided lawmakers and lobbyists alike with a welcome break amid a busy season.

Before the break, the House passed what amounts to the first step toward Governor Kehoe’s individual income tax elimination plan on March 12. House Committee Substitute for House Joint Resolutions 173 & 174 authorizes establishing a mechanism to reduce and eliminate the state individual income tax based on increases in net general revenue collections. If passed by voters, the amendment would allow the General Assembly to establish a procedure to eliminate the income tax by 2032.

Other issues matriculating through the system are:

• HB 2103, which increases the penalties for the misuse of a notary seal, passed the House and Senate
• HB 2423, the Division of Finance revision bill, passed the House and was heard in the Senate
• HB 2586, which allows credit unions to have virtual board meetings and reduces membership fees, passed the House and Senate

Candidate filing for the House and Senate opened Feb. 24 and closes March 31. At the time of writing, 48 of the 163 House seats up this cycle had incumbents who are either term-limited and can’t seek reelection or had not yet filed. In the Senate, 11 of the 17 seats up this cycle are open. This will be a transformative election for the Missouri Senate, as there are only 34 state senators. If the current House filing trend continues, over 25% of the House will turn over.