"The Voice of Missouri Business®" Weekly Report - January 19-23, 2026

By Matthew Smith, edited by Ray McCarty

January 23, 2026 - – It was another busy week in the Missouri Legislature for pro-business legislation, so here is a quick recap of the activity this week.

Legal reform and pushing back against frivolous lawsuits (AIM supports)

Last week, we told you about the list of bills that stop lawsuits claiming a business is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), alleging these businesses have failed to provide accommodations for blind individuals on their websites. Of course, this is another scheme for trial attorneys to sue and settle for quick monetary gain.

Two of the bills that would prevent these lawsuits were heard in the House Commerce Committee this week. They included HB 1842 (Rep. Gallick) and HB 2150 (Rep. Wilson.) We testified in support, along with small business owners who came to tell their story and explain the damage these lawsuits could cause to a business. We expect these bills to be voted out of the Commerce committee next week and we appreciate Rep. Gallick and Wilson’s effort in protecting Missouri businesses.

Similar bills that were heard in the House General Laws Committee last week were combined and voted out of committee this week. The substitute bill, HCS HBs 1694, 1674, 1780, 2056, 2132 and 1755 will now advance to a rules committee.

While we are on the topic of tort reform, SB 918 (Sen. Burger), a bill that aligns Missouri's court rules regarding expert witnesses with rules in federal courts, was approved by the Senate General Laws Committee this week.

Fairness in telecommunication expenses (AIM supports)

In the House General Laws committee, we testified in support of HB 2155 (Rep. Hurlbert), which requires municipalities and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to reimburse non-regulated utilities when the government requires them to move their property that is located in public rights-of-way. Currently, regulated utilities can get reimbursement for the forced relocation of their facilities because that expense is allowed when setting rates of the utility customers, but unregulated utilities, such as cable television and broadband providers must incur the costs and either absorb them or increase prices to customers. AIM's position is that private businesses should be reimbursed for the cost of the relocation required by the government.

Movement of Legislation

Many of the bills that we wrote about last week have advanced from committee.

This includes HB 2085 (Rep. Keathley) which prohibits local governments from regulating ingredients, increasing the age, or banning tobacco, vapor, and alternative nicotine products. This bill protects small businesses across Missouri, as many depend on these products to survive. The bill advanced from the House Commerce Committee on a 9-1 vote.

HB 1892 (Rep. Hausman), which updates the depreciation schedule of certain pipelines for property tax purposes, was approved by the House Ways and Means Committee this week. HB 1883 (Rep. Van Schoiack), a bill that exempts sales by auctioneers from sales/use taxes, was amended by Committee Chairman Rep. McGirl to include another AIM priority bill that exempts brain cancer treatment devices and other durable medical equipment from sales and use taxes and advanced from the committee. Both bills are top tax priorities for AIM this year.

We are also happy to report that multiple beneficial property tax reform bills that were heard in various committees last week were approved this week. HB 1766 (Rep. McGirl) which prevents the increase in value of personal property tax from being counted as new construction (and exempt from rollback), HB 1800 (Rep. Matthiesen) which reduces the cap on increases in assessments due to inflation from 5% to 3%, HB 2178 (Rep. Perkins) which changes the property tax appeals process to make the process fairer for taxpayers, and SB 987 (Sen. Burger) which updates law to ensure a taxpayer who is forced to appeal their assessment will recoup the costs of the appeal (lawyer fees etc.) were approved by their respective committees this week. The next step for the House bills that were passed by committee is to be heard and voted through one of two rules committee and then they will be placed on the House calendar for debate. For the Senate bills, they will remain in committee until they are requested by the President Pro Tem to be put on the Senate calendar for debate.

We intend to provide these legislative updates to you on a weekly basis on Fridays as we track the progress of these and other bills affecting Missouri businesses.