Missouri General Assembly

One lawmaker said Missouri runs the risk of becoming a "sanctuary state for pedophiles" if the General Assembly doesn't pass a bill that would give victims of child sex abuse more time to press civil charges against their abusers.

A bill that would have insulated Bayer and other chemical companies from lawsuits over cancer risks failed in the Missouri Senate, after bipartisan opposition arose. But there's little doubt that the legislation will return next session.

The Missouri General Assembly's 2025 legislative session ended last week, but with some last-minute drama. While it was a more productive term than in recent years, some legislative priorities — including funding packages for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals stadiums — didn't make it to the finish line.

It's the first time in more than 70 years that the House has adjourned early. The session had been scheduled to end on Friday.

Missouri lawmakers are still wrestling with abortion rights, paid sick leave, tax cuts and the state budget. What's ahead for the General Assembly in the last two weeks of this legislative session?

Missouri's elected officials have been productive so far in 2025, a stark contrast to the deadlocked chambers of the last few years. But with about a month left in the session, a budget and new anti-abortion legislation are still on the to-do list.

Missouri Republicans are gearing up for an unusual 2026 election cycle in which state legislative and countywide contests and ballot items could take precedence over statewide races.

It’s become a familiar pattern in Missouri — progressive ballot measures like abortion rights, Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization find success in a state where Republicans have dominated for more than a decade.

Democrats hoped to gain seats in both the House and Senate — something they have not done since 2006 — and to break the two-thirds supermajority the GOP has enjoyed since the 2012 election. While each party flipped a seat in each chamber, Democrats made no overall gains.

Missouri's legislature passed a law in 2022 allowing two weeks of "no excuse absentee" voting before Election Day. It's already proving popular, with turnouts approaching 20% of the total cast four years ago. Voters aren't dissuaded by the long wait times, though.

The Missouri Department of Corrections had a $14 million budget allocation to install air conditioning at one of its intake facilities. It will take years for the project to be completed.

A new Missouri legislative panel investigates crime committed by undocumented immigrants, and is holding hearings around the state. But it's gotten pushback from residents because reports about the extent of immigrant crimes are mostly exaggerated or completely false.