JEFFERSON CITY — Top Republicans in state government celebrated what they considered successes as this year’s legislative session neared its Friday close.
Gov. Mike Kehoe held a news conference in his office with Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, who also gave a status update on lingering Republican priority bills.
The pair highlighted several bills, including House Joint Resolutions 173 & 174, which put the elimination of individual income tax on the November ballot for Missouri voters to consider.
“With the passage of these HJRs, Missourians will be able to decide the future of our tax code for themselves,” Kehoe said. “This is a transformational moment for our state.”
Kehoe said it’s his view that approval by voters will help Missouri become more competitive with other states, as Republicans say removal of income tax will be an economic benefit to the state. Luetkemeyer spoke about the financial upside for middle-class Missourians.
“Elimination of state income tax will represent, if passed, the largest middle-class income tax cut in our state’s history,” Luetkemeyer said.
Critics, however, said that the language in the HJR would allow for an increase in sales tax and a broadening of the base of items and services on which taxes will be imposed. Any increase would be up to a future Missouri General Assembly to decide, with concern of higher sales taxes to cover the loss of individual income tax.
Currently, individual income tax makes up about two-thirds of Missouri’s general revenue for state operations.
“Missouri Senate Republicans were committed to funding government services in a responsible way,” Luetkemeyer said. “This year’s state budget operations came in at just $4.1 billion under the fiscal year 2026 budget that was signed into law last year.”
Kehoe also touted the legislature’s work on the operating budget, noting a historic level of funding of K-12 education.
That portion of the budget faced intense scrutiny from Democrats in both the Senate and the House, which passed the funding on a slim margin that included a sizeable number of Republicans voting “no.”
During debate, Democrats pointed out that the funding level was $190 million lower than what was requested by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
As for bills that have stalled, Luetkemeyer told reporters that those addressing property tax reform and Kehoe’s proposed A-F school funding model are unlikely to pass this year.
“We get to this point in the session, and a lot of people have legislative priorities,” Luetkemeyer said. “They’re right at the finish line, and they just come up short.”
Kehoe signed an executive order in January to implement an annual A-F school grading system based on a 100-point scale with the purpose of improving the performance of school districts and providing information on district performance to parents.
“We still believe it’s appropriate for our parents to understand what rate the district is receiving that their kids are going to school at,” Kehoe said.
Opponents worry that this system, if tied to school funding, will take away money from already underfunded schools, which are more likely to receive lower grades.
Also celebrated during the news conference were a number of bipartisan wins scored throughout the session. One bill with unanimous approval in both chambers was House Bill 1908, sponsored by Rep. Cecelie Williams, R-Dittmer, which made it legal for women to file for divorce while pregnant.
Another bill, originally dealing with drone regulations but expanding to include dozens of broader public safety measures, was celebrated for passing with support from both sides of the aisle.
The legislative session has a constitutional deadline to wrap up no later than 6 p.m. Friday. Both chambers are allowed to gavel out early, as they did last year.