Date of Legislative Update: April 5, 2026

Health Care

Bill #: HCS HJR 154 (formerly in the House and now in the Senate)

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Amendment for work requirements for Mo HealthNet. 

Status of the Bill: Re-scheduled for hearing in the Senate Families, Seniors and Health Committee on Wednesday, April 8 at 8:00 AM. 

Talking points:  

• Those who can't work, don't earn enough, or where no jobs are available, should have the right to income and/or services to meet basic needs

• This bill reduces the number of people on Medicaid by making the work requirements so onerous that people give up

• The bureaucratic paperwork involved is a deterrent to those trying to comply

Link to the summary of the bill: HCS HJR 154

Call to action: Only in person testimony is allowed at Senate hearings. Contact members of the Senate Families, Seniors and Health Committee and tell them you OPPOSE this bill. Members of this committee can be found HERE. Click on the Senator’s picture and you will be taken to their information page with their contact information. Special Call to Action sent out on March 31, 2026. If you missed it, now is your chance to contact lawmakers.

LWV Position: The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that one of the goals of social policy in the United States should be to promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families and that the most-effective social programs are those designed to prevent or reduce poverty. Persons who are unable to work, whose earnings are inadequate, or for whom jobs are not available have the right to an income and/or services sufficient to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and access to health care. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024-2026, p. 170-171)

Social Justice

Bill #: HCS HB 2747 & 2047 (formerly in the House and now in the Senate)

LWVMO SUPPORTS this bill 

Short Description: Voting right to be reinstated on release from incarceration.

Status of the Bill: Re-scheduled for a hearing in the Senate on Wednesday, April 8 at 8:15 AM in the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. 

Talking points:  

• a person returning to the community has a better chance not returning if they have the tools to return to or create a successful life.

• having a "clean" record allows for better jobs, those which pay more than the minimum wage

• having a better income lessens the need for social services and generates higher tax revenue

• if family members are working and contributing to the success of their families, their children have a better chance of being good members of their communities

• Missouri needs workers able to fulfill jobs with better skills and better pay

• Clean Slate will allow better access to housing in particular, and many other things

• a similar bill has been introduced the last several years, let's pass this improved bill NOW

Link to summary of the bill: HCS HB 2747 & 2047

Call to action: Only in person testimony is allowed at Senate hearings. Please contact committee members and let them know you SUPPORT this bill. Members of the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee can be found HERE Click on the Senator’s picture and you will be taken to their information page with their contact information. Was on last week’s Call to Action. If you missed it, now is your chance to contact lawmakers.

LWV Position: Support a criminal justice system that is just, effective, equitable, transparent, and that fosters public trust at all stages, including policing practices, pre-trial procedures, sentencing, incarceration, and re-entry. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024-2026, p. 15)

Taxes

Bill #: HCS HJRs 173 & 174 (formerly in the House and now in the Senate)

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Upon voter approval, if under current law, income tax rate falls below 1.4%, state income tax will be eliminated by 2031, and sales tax may be increased/expanded to make up for the income deficit. 

Status of the Bill: Re-scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Economics and Workforce Development Committee on Wednesday, April 8 at 10:00 AM.  

Talking points:  

• Opens the door to a 9% sales tax on everything – all of the products and services Missourians use every day - from gas to car repairs and home maintenance. (9% is average state and local rate)

• Eliminating the income tax rigs the system for the wealthy, while hurting working people, families, and communities

• Raises taxes for most Missourians – all to give big tax breaks to the wealthiest 

Link to the summary of the bill: HCS HJRs 173 &174

Call to action: Only in person testimony is allowed at Senate hearings. Please contact members of the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee and let them know you OPPOSE this bill. Members of the committee can be found HERE Click on the Senator’s picture and you will be taken to their information page with their contact information. Special Call to Action sent out on March 31, 2026. If you missed it, now is your chance to contact lawmakers.

LWV Position: Support of an adequate, balanced, and progressive tax system to finance necessary governmental services, which emphasizes equity and fair sharing of the tax burden (LWVMO Guide to State Action 2025 -2027, p. 27)  

Climate and Environment

Bill #: HCS HB 2122 & 1626

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Missouri ratepayers could start paying now for a future nuclear or other clean baseload plant years before it produces electricity.  The combined version includes stronger refund protections if the project fails.

Status of the Bill: Placed on the calendar for House Bills for Third Reading for Tuesday, April 7.

Talking points:  

• Allow utilities to raise rates to consumers before nuclear power plants are built

• Shifts financial risk from corporations onto Missouri families, especially seniors on fixed incomes 

• It locks Missouri into expensive nuclear power instead of cheaper renewables  

Link to the summary of the bill: HCS HB 2122 & 1626

Call to action: Contact your Representative to tell them to OPPOSE this bill. Find your Representative HERE

Links to further reading: Missouri Coalition for Environment

LWV Position: The League supports policies that limit reliance on nuclear fission and action by appropriate levels of government to encourage the use of renewable resources and energy conservation through funding for research and development, financial incentives, rate-setting policies and mandatory standards. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024-2026, p. 111)

Bill #: HB2169

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description:This bill prohibits the use of eminent domain by electrical corporations for the construction or erection of any plant, tower, panel, or facility that uses wind or solar power.

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for an Executive Session in the House Special Committee on Rural Issues on Wednesday, April 8 at 4:00 PM.

Talking points:  

• Puts further restrictions on development of wind and solar  

• Creates obstacles for solar and wind companies that are not applied to nuclear or electrical power companies

• Prohibits any use of eminent domain for collection, distribution and transmission lines and to other facilities needed to collect & deliver alternative energy

Link to the summary of the bill: HB2169

Call to action: Contact committee members and tell them you OPPOSE this bill. Members of the House Special Committee on Rural Issues can be found HERE

Links to further reading: Missouri Coalition for Environment Blog

LWV Position: The League advocates a national energy policy emphasizing increased fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles, opposition to oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and support for government action in the development and use of energy conservation and renewable energy sources…The League opposes efforts to pass eminent domain legislation that would seriously undermine environmental protections in the name of private property rights. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024-2026, p. 109)