Voting Rights

Bill #: HB 2125

LWVMO neither opposes or supports FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Short Description: This bill requires the Secretary of State (SOS) and the Director of the Department of Revenue to enter into an agreement to match information pertaining to the citizenship status of individuals in the voter registration database with information in the motor vehicle system; reinstates SOS's investigation and subpoena power.

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for a hearing in the House on Tuesday, January 27 at 8:00 AM in the Elections Committee.

Talking Points:

• Voters are already required to show identification in order to vote 

• If used nefariously, the bill could make it harder for eligible Missourians to cast their votes

Link to the summary of the bill: HB 2125

LWV Position: The State of Missouri should provide uniform, transparent and non discriminatory data reporting tools and resources to help local election authorities to accurately maintain their voter registration rolls.

Data from 3rd party organizations used in voter registration list maintenance should use strict criteria (strong matches) and be tested for accuracy prior to use, with an objective of minimizing disenfranchising eligible voters. (LWVMO Guide to State Action 2025-2027, p. 18) 

Bill #: SB 836

LWVMO SUPPORTS this bill 

Short Description: This bill would, among other provisions, extend the period of no-excuse absentee voting (early voting) from two weeks to four weeks. It also reinstates the presidential primary.

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for a hearing in the Senate on Monday, January 26 at 2:00 PM in the Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee.

Talking points:  

• Early voting facilitates voter participation 

• It reduces stress on election workers and makes elections less vulnerable to disruption

• A presidential primary encourages greater participation as voters can access primaries over longer voting periods while caucuses have a limited window for participation and have seen low turnout

Link to the summary of the bill: SB 836

Call to action: Only in person testimony is allowed at Senate hearings. Please contact committee members and let them know you SUPPORT this bill. Members of the Local Government, Elections, and Pensions Committee are found HERE. Click on the Senator’s picture and you will be taken to their information page for their contact information.

LWV Position: Support no-excuse absentee voting either by mail or in person, advance voting and measures that facilitate participation in the election process and expand all forms of early voting and work to reduce election administration stress and Support open primaries for all primary elections. (LWVMO Guide to State Action 2025-2027, p. 7)

Health Care

Bill #: HB 1854, HB 2023, HB1608, HB 1672

LWVMO OPPOSES 

Short Description: Specifies after March 1, 2027, prescriptions for kids under 18 for hormones/drugs prior to August 28, 2023, are no longer valid.  

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for Executive Session in the House Emerging Issues Committee on Monday, January 26 at 4:30 PM.

Talking points:  

• Interferes with the medical decisions made by parents, their children

          and medical professionals

• Repeals a previously agreed expiration date, permanently prohibiting

          these treatments

• Prevents medically necessary care established by professional medical

          organizations*, based on false claims of health outcomes for those with

          gender dysphoria* (*The American Academy of Pediatrics, The

          American Psychiatric Assoc., The American Academy of Child and

          Adolescent Psychiatry)

Link to the summary of the bill: HB 1854, HB 2023, HB 1672

Call to action: Email committee members and tell them you OPPOSE this bill. Members of the House Emerging Issues Committee are found HERE. Click on the representative’s picture and you will be taken to their information page for their contact information. 

LWV Position: LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and

inclusion in principle and in practice to all persons regardless of their race,

color, gender, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or disability.

(LWVMO Guide to State Action 2025-2027, p 56)

Reproductive Rights

Bill #: HB 1667, HB 2294

LWVMO OPPOSES 

Short Description: Establishes the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" mandating same rights, privileges and immunities as any other person and requires action to preserve life when a fetus is born alive after an abortion or attempted abortion. 

Status of Bill: Scheduled for Executive Session in the House Children and Families Committee on Tuesday, January 27 at 8:00 AM.

Talking points: 

• U.S. Constitution law has consistently rejected the idea that embryos or fetuses are “persons” under the 14th Amendment 

• Conception based personhood would create un-administrable legal obligations, including criminal liability for miscarriage or natural embryonic loss 

• Pluralistic society avoids enforcing one moral or religious belief through law; it contradicts science, medicine, and constitutional rights

• An unborn child being identified as a "person" is not consistent with all religious beliefs of US citizens.  Judaism and Islam, among others, do not recognize personhood at conception. This can cause concerns for religious freedom provisions and the First Amendment

Link to the summary of the bill: HB 1667, HB 2294

Call to action: Email committee members and tell them you OPPOSE this bill. Members of the House Children and Families Committee are found HERE. Click on the representative’s picture and you will be taken to their information page for their contact information. 

LWV Position: The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that public policy in a pluralistic society must affirm the constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices. At the 2024 Convention, delegates passed a resolution reaffirming the League’s commitment to fight for reproductive rights and justice, including bodily autonomy, privacy, reproductive health, and access to contraception and abortion. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024 - 2026, p. 64-68)

Bill #: HB 2688

LWVMO OPPOSES 

Short Description: An unborn child, at any stage of development, is subject to the protections of the 5th and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution.

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for a hearing in the House Children and Families Committee on Tuesday, January 27 at 8:00 AM.

Talking points: 

• U.S. Constitution law has consistently rejected the idea that embryos or fetuses are “persons” under the 14th Amendment. Conception based personhood would create un-administrable legal obligations, including criminal liability for miscarriage or natural embryonic loss

• Unique DNA is not sufficient for personhood. Tumors and cells also have unique DNA. Personhood depends on function and capacity, not genetics alone. (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Ethics Guidance)

• There is no medical consensus on when an embryo becomes a human. The belief that life begins at conception is a religious belief that is not supported by the majority of Missourians

Link to the summary of the bill: HB 2688

Call to action: Submit testimony to OPPOSE HB 2688 HERE. Make sure to mark “in Opposition to” under reason in the testimony form.

LWV Position: The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that public policy in a pluralistic society must affirm the constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices. At the 2024 Convention, delegates passed a resolution reaffirming the League’s commitment to fight for reproductive rights and justice, including bodily autonomy, privacy, reproductive health, and access to contraception and abortion. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024 - 2026, p. 64-68)

Firearms

Bill #: HB 2176

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill 

Short Description: Creates Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act.

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for a hearing in the House General Laws Committee on Wednesday, January 28 at 4:00 PM.

Talking points:  

• Blocks any cooperation with federal or out‑of‑state red‑flag orders that could avert suicides, mass shootings, and domestic violence before tragedy occurs

• Removes ability of any municipality to enact any firearm law

• Appears motivated by anti‑federal ideology and gun‑lobby pressure rather than by looking at the facts of the case

Link to the summary of the bill: HB 2176

Call to action: Submit testimony to OPPOSE HB 2176 HERE. Make sure to mark “in Opposition to” under reason in the testimony form.

LWV Position: The League supports strong federal measures to limit the accessibility and regulate the ownership of these weapons by private citizens. The League supports regulating firearms for consumer safety. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024-2026, p. 179)

Bill #: SB 952

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Prohibits police and sheriffs from enforcing federal firearms laws against law-abiding citizens of Missouri, imposes civil penalties for violations, but provides some exceptions.

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee on Monday, January 26 at 2:00 PM.

Talking points:  

• It bans or punishes cooperation with federal gun law enforcement, tying the hands of local police who are trying to stop gun trafficking and violent crime

• It creates confusion for officers in the field about what they can legally do and lets dangerous offenders slip through the cracks

• This bill makes it harder to enforce federal laws against felons, domestic abusers, and traffickers who should not have guns

Link to the summary of the bill: SB 952

Call to action: Only in person testimony is allowed at Senate hearings. Please contact committee members and let them know you OPPOSE this bill. Members of the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee are found HERE. Click on the Senator’s picture and you will be taken to their information page for their contact information.

Links to further reading: 

Eighth Circuit Rules Missouri’s Dangerous ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act’ Violates the Constitution; Everytown Law, Brady, GIFFORDS, March For Our Lives Respond    

Police warn Missouri Republicans against reviving a controversial gun rights law

LWV Position: The League supports strong federal measures to limit the accessibility and regulate the ownership of these weapons by private citizens. The League supports regulating firearms for consumer safety. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024-2026 Page 179)

Social Justice

Bill #: HB 1998

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill 

Short Description: This bill would prohibit state spending for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in educational institutions.

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for a hearing in the House Legislative Review Committee on Wednesday, January 28 at 2:30 PM.

Talking points:  

• The bill does not specifically define Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, leaving much room for misinterpretation 

• The bill is fiscally punitive toward any elementary, secondary, or higher education institution found to be using DEI, while the task of validly monitoring compliance would be next to impossible

• The bill assumes without proof that DEI initiatives are harmful

• The bill is an affront to the professional judgment of educators regarding curriculum 

Link to the summary of the bill: HB 1998

Call to action: Submit testimony to OPPOSE HB 1998 HERE. Make sure to mark “in Opposition to” under reason in the testimony form.

LWV Position: LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice to all persons regardless of their race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or disability. (LWVMO Guide to State Action 2025-2027, p 56)

Taxes

Bill #: SB 1017

LWVMO SUPPORTS this bill 

Short Description: Bill authorizes a state sales tax exemption for food.

Status of the Bill: Scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Economics and Workforce Development Committee on Wednesday, January 28 at 1:00
PM.

Talking points:  

• Missouri applies a sales tax on food eligible for purchase with food stamps of 1.225%. However, most municipalities add city and county sales tax to this amount which in some counties could be a high as 7.975%

• This bill would not change the county's ability to tax food, but it would provide a small amount of relief from sales tax on food, which can be a large part of the working poor's budget  

Link to the summary of the bill: SB 1017

Call to action: Only in person testimony is allowed at Senate hearings. Please contact committee members and let them know you SUPPORT this bill. Members of the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee are found HERE. Click on the Senator’s picture and you will be taken to their information page for their contact information.

LWV Position: The League opposes state sales taxes on food and drugs as ways to reduce the regressive nature of the general sales tax. (LWVMO Guide to State Action 2025-2027, page 29)