JEFFERSON CITY, Mo — With just two weeks left in the legislative session, lawmakers in the Missouri House and Senate are working to finalize the state’s budget for Fiscal Year 2026. The Senate passed its version of the budget last week, proposing to spend $49.5 billion, about $1.6 billion more than the House plan and $575 million less than Governor Mike Kehoe’s recommendation.
Some of the key differences between the House and Senate budget proposals include:
K-12 education funding: The Senate plan includes nearly $300 million more than the Governor requested for the public-school foundation formula but removes $50 million the Governor wanted for private school scholarships.
State workers’ pay raises: The Senate and Governor propose a raise of 1% for every two years of service (up to 10%). The House version caps raises at 5%.
Childcare funding: The Senate supports the Governor’s $107 million plan to reform how childcare subsidies are paid. The House did not include this funding.
Higher education: The Governor and House support a 1.5% increase for colleges and universities, while the Senate proposes a 3% ongoing increase.
Earmarks: The House added $295 million across 149 projects. The Senate removed 57 of them (worth $126 million) and added 169 new ones totaling $441 million.
Speaker Pro Tem Chad Perkins in morning meeting with staff
Expanding Access to Health Care
SB 7 is a sweeping health care omnibus passed by the Missouri House this week that significantly reforms and updates state policies across a wide range of health services, with a strong focus on emergency medical services and patient access. Originally centered on ambulance district oversight, the bill evolved in the House to become a comprehensive legislative package impacting hospitals, pharmacies, emergency responders, health care providers, and patients statewide.
At its core, SB 7 enhances accountability within ambulance districts by requiring board members to complete continuing education or be automatically disqualified. It also mandates that each district undergo a financial audit every three years, with results made publicly available. The Department of Health and Senior Services(DHSS) gains new regulatory authority to oversee ambulance administrators, ensure their training, and take corrective action in cases of financial insolvency or service disruptions. When ambulance services fail, DHSS must notify affected parties and coordinate with other providers to maintain emergency coverage, with provisions for compensating assisting license holders.
The bill also clarifies that specialty hospitals—facilities not classified as general acute care hospitals—are exempt from certain requirements for handling sexual assault cases, as long as they have policies to transfer patients to appropriate facilities. Additionally, it broadens legal protections for individuals providing emergency care at the scene of an accident or crisis, shielding them from civil liability except incases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
Expanding Opportunity for Missouri’s Homeschooled
The Missouri House passed SB 63, expanding access to extracurricular activities for students in homeschools, full-time virtual schools, and Family Personal Education (FPE)schools. The bill prohibits school districts and charter schools from participating in statewide activity associations that restrict these students’ participation or require them to enroll in classes to take part in events. Schools must apply the same behavioral and performance standards to all students and cannot impose separate disciplinary or attendance rules based on educational setting. Students ineligible at the time of withdrawal from a public school must wait 12 months before participating in school activities.
To qualify, nontraditional students must reside in the district and follow the same rules as enrolled students, with parents responsible for academic standards. Schools may set policies for practices and required components tied to the activity but can decide whether to include these students in non-extracurricular programs. The bill also simplifies the home school notification process and allows entities beyond public schools, including DESE and private schools, to establish recovery high schools for students with substance use disorders. The bill now awaits final approval from the Senate before it can be sent to the Governor for signature.
