"The Voice of Missouri Business®" Weekly Report - January 26-30, 2026

By Matthew Smith and Ray McCarty

January 30, 2026 - – It was another busy week in the Missouri Legislature for pro-business legislation. Here is a recap highlighting our efforts on behalf of Missouri employers this week.

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

We previously reported on 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.

This week, one of those bills, HCS HBs 1694, 1674, 1780, 2056, 2132 and 1755 was approved by a unanimous bipartisan vote of the House Rules - Legislative Committee.

Two additional bills,  HB 1842 (Rep. Gallick) and HB 2150 (Rep. Wilson) were combined and unanimously approved, also in a bipartisan vote, by the House Commerce Committee this week.

Workers' Compensation - Work must be primary reason for medical treatment (AIM supports)

We previously reported AIM testified for Rep. Christ’s HB 2375, which strengthens Missouri’s workers compensation by requiring the injured employee to prove the injury and the need for treatment were due to work. In some cases, employees receive workers compensation for preexisting diseases that were not caused by an injury at the workplace. This bill fixes this issue, along with making needed changes to the appeal process and requiring the inclusion of any insurance benefit a worker obtained when determining how much will be paid by worker compensation insurance. HB 2375 was approved by the House Rules - Legislative Committee this week by a vote of 8-2 and it will be placed on the House calendar for floor debate soon.

Property Tax Legislation (AIM supports)

HB 1766 (McGirl) which prevents any increase in aggregate valuation of personal property tax from being counted as new construction (and exempt from rollback) was passed by the House Rules - Legislative Committee this week on a vote of 8-2 and will advance to the House calendar for debate.

HB 1800 (Rep. Matthiesen) which reduces the cap on increases in assessments due to inflation from 5% to 3% was approved by the House Special Committee on Tax Reform by a vote of 6-3. The bill was referred to the House Rules - Legislative Committee for further consideration.

SB 987 (Sen. Ben Brown) which ensures a taxpayer who is forced to appeal their assessment rate will recoup the costs of the appeal (lawyer fees etc.) was approved by the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee on January 21 and will be eligible for Senate floor debate soon.

HB 2178 (Rep. Perkins) that changes the property tax appeals process to make the process fairer for taxpayers was approved by the House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform last week and referred to the House Rules - Legislative Committee this week.

Investing in Nuclear Energy (AIM Supports)

The Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee heard SB 838 (Cierpiot), a bill which would improve Missouri’s ability to invest in nuclear energy. This bill would include the term “nuclear power” in the definition of renewable energy, allowing utility companies that are required by law to invest in renewable energy the ability to increase their nuclear power generation. Energy demands are growing every year, especially with multiple data centers coming to Missouri. For the sake of a secure grid and economic development, we need to ensure that we have electricity to power all of Missouri’s needs. Nuclear energy can provide that assurance, and we support the push towards the utilization of more nuclear energy in Missouri. We support an all of the above approach that includes nuclear energy.

The next step is for the bill to be voted out of the Senate Commerce committee.

Fighting Back Against Foreign Influence in our Courts (AIM Supports)

We previously told you about SB 881 (Trent) which prohibits foreign principals or agents from funding litigation in Missouri. We are happy to inform you this bill has been approved by the Senate General Laws Committee. This bill is important in preventing foreigners from financing litigation. Missouri businesses should be protected from foreign influence in our litigation system. The next step is for SB 881 is to be placed 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.