Capitol Report 1.9.2026

Missouri Legislature Convenes for 2026 Session

This week we convened the start of the 2026 Regular Session, beginning the second regular session of the 103rd General Assembly. We will be in session through mid-May.

Opening day was largely procedural, and a lot like the carnival atmosphere that surrounds opening day at Busch Stadium. There is a lot of optimism about the coming session and great expectations. There is a lot of talk about bi-partisanship and cooperation. There are a lot of promises of goodwill, good faith and good legislative intent. That typically wears off shortly after session starts and we will settle into the more normal routine of posturing, gamesmanship and deal-making by the third week or so.

So far there have been over 1200 bills filed in the House, of which perhaps 100 will make it to the Governor’s desk. Of the myriad number of topics involved in all those bills, there are a handful that fit within the legislative priorities that we outlined for this session, and fewer still that align with the Governor’s priorities for this session.

The Budget process alone takes up 13 to 15 bills. The budget this session will be the most challenging of all the activities we do. Three and one-half years ago we could brag about a 6.5-billion-dollar reserve, unfortunately, with some extremely poor spending decisions, we reduced that to a projected 1.5 billion dollars left on the bottom line. As it turns out, at the end of the fiscal year, that number had shrunk to approximately one-half billion dollars and the Governor was forced to do withholds on certain budget items. The most important thing we do, and, by the way, our only constitutional duty, is to pass a budget. After what I have witnessed over the last 7 years that I have been in the House, we here in Missouri are so fortunate that the voters passed the balanced budget amendment to our constitution. The first budget that I voted on was 27.5 billion dollars. Last year’s budget 53 billion dollars. Our state budget has nearly doubled in 7 years. It is abundantly clear that we don’t have a revenue problem in Missouri, we have a spending problem. If you would like more detail on my perspective on the Budget, please visit my website (mayhewformissouri.com). I will also be posting some items on my Facebook page related to the Budget.

Among the remaining other priorities will be daycare, income tax, and property taxes. We have a lot of work to do on all of these and as you can see, they mostly involve things around economic and affordability issues. I will spend a little more time on each one of these as they come up on my website (mayhewformissouri.com). As usual, public safety, health care (especially mental health), infrastructure, and education will be worked on as the session moves forward.

Handicapping this session, I predict that income tax policy legislation will consume a significant amount of our time with health care a close second. While education always generates significant filed bills, I don’t think it takes center stage unless we attempt foundation formula changes or improvements.

Cordially,

Don Mayhew