Missouri lawmakers leave town

By Jason Hancock | Editor-in-Chief

Good morning,

Missouri lawmakers ended the 2026 session Friday with something the Capitol has not produced much of in recent years: a relatively orderly finish.

Republicans advanced major parts agenda and avoided the kind of Senate collapse that has defined the last few sessions.

But a smoother legislature is not the same thing as a quiet one.

The final hours still showed how much power can move through procedural chokepoints. The result was a session that gave Gov. Mike Kehoe and GOP leaders plenty to celebrate — while leaving a lot of the year’s most contested priorities for another year.

by Jason Hancock

Republicans advanced major priorities on taxes, public safety and abortion in a session defined as much by what passed as by the relative absence of Capitol dysfunction.

by Annelise Hanshaw

A bipartisan Senate-backed plan to move MOScholars out of the treasurer’s office died in the House after a last-day call from St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski.

by Steph Quinn

The bill also prohibits the operation of drones over “critical infrastructure” and includes measures aimed at protecting kids at overnight camps.

by Rudi Keller

Kurt Bahr, who favors the map gerrymandered for a Republican advantage, said he wants a final decision so the Aug. 4 primary is valid.

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