The 2026 legislative session is now finished. We made real progress in some areas, fell short in others, and on a few important votes I know people may have questions.
One bill I was proud to carry was SB 1011, which was combined with SB 977 and included the No Foreign Laws Act. This says Missouri courts should not apply foreign law when doing so would deny a person's fundamental rights under the Missouri Constitution or the United States Constitution.
Missouri should be governed by our Constitution, our laws, and the statutes passed by the United States Congress and the Missouri General Assembly. Foreign legal systems, including religious law used as a substitute for state or federal law should not override the rights of Missourians.
Another major win was language from SB 1086, which was included in SB 878. This provision allows pharmacists to dispense ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine without requiring a prescription from a licensed health care practitioner, once a warning label and pharmacy procedures are in place. Missourians should not have to deal with unnecessary red tape to access safe medicines.
We also had a win for small businesses with my SB 1154, which was combined into SB 907. This bill addresses ADA-compliant websites and abusive website accessibility lawsuits. Too often, these lawsuits are not about fixing access problems. They are about targeting small businesses and trying to extract a settlement.
The bill gives businesses a safe harbor when they receive notice and take substantial steps to orrect the problem within 90 days. The goal should be real accessibility and a fair process, not predatory shakedown tactics.
We also moved forward on public safety. My SB 1294 passed as an amendment inside another bill. Tis language dealt with criminal offenses and penalties, including sex-related crimes and sentencing clarity. Victims matter, and criminals need to be held acountable. We need clear law, consistent sentencing and stronger consequences for serious crimes.
I also want to address two bills where I voted no, even though many in my party supported them.
The first was SB 999, known as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. In 2002, the federal government passed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which made clear that a child born alive at any stage of development, including after an attempted abortion has the same legal protections as any other person.
I am pro-life. I believe life is valuable and must be protected. I also believe the original bill was not completely necessary because federal law already provides protections and Missouri already has laws prohibiting the murder of any person at any age. Even so, I supported the original bill because it sent a strong message that in Missouri we would hold medical professionals accountable in those situations, should they arise.
But the final version of the bill changed. Amendments added other subjects, including cyberstalking, protective orders, and technology-related abuse. The bill also included a non-severability clause, meaning if one part is struck down the whole bill would be at risk.
Some added language was too broad, and I believe it will likely be deemed unconstitutional by the courts. I did not want to vote for a bill with a good headline but bad language that would be struck down. On the final version, I believed a no vote was the correct vote.
The second bill was HJR 173, dealing with STATE income tax. I support phasing out the state personal income tax. However, this resolution would amend Article X of the Missouri Constitution. It directs the General Assembly to reduce and eventually eliminate the individual income tax but it also allows the sales and use tax base to be expanded to goods and services in order to replace the revenue.
That is a major change. My concern is simple: voters are being asked to give the Legislature broad authority to rewrite the tax system without seeing the full plan first. I do not believe we should remove constitutional protections and hope the details work out later. My constituents are more concerned about property tax reform than phasing out the state income tax right now.
My job is not to vote with the crowd. My job is to read the bill, understand what it really does and vote the way I believe best protects Missourians.
I am grateful for the wins we had this session. I am disappointed in the areas where we did not get enough done. But I remain hopeful and I will keep working for freedom and liberty, transparency, small businesses, public safety, and the constitutional protections Missourians deserve.
As always, reach out to our office with questions or concerns. We are here to serve you.
Join Us For Coffee & Conversations
Please join us at one of our community events! I want to hear your concerns and answer your questions. If you are unable to attend any of these, please be sure to subscribe and we'll let you know about future dates.
- Saturday, June 20th @ 10:00 am - Ground Roots Coffee, 507 S Broadway, Oak Grove
- Saturday, June 20th @ 2:00 pm - Historical Society, 506 N Main St., Grain Valley
- Saturday, June 27th @ 2:00 pm - The Hudson Room, 323 S Hudson St., Buckner
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