Lawmakers begin 2026 legislative session
Taxes, state spending and other items on the minds of legislators for 2026
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, lawmakers returned to Jefferson City for the start of the Second Regular Session of the 103rd General Assembly. The first day of the 2026 legislative session was filled mostly with pomp and circumstance as lawmakers went about their business. In the Missouri Senate, President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, R-Shelbina, urged her colleagues to focus on the basic principles of state government to move Missouri forward during her opening day address.
Senator Cindy O'Laughlin, president pro tem of the Missouri Senate, delivers her opening day address to her colleagues. Photo courtesy of the Senate Majority Caucus.
"Taxes, regulations, red tape and bureaucracy do not make Missouri better," said Sen. O'Laughlin. "In every case, they take from Missouri families. They also take from Missouri small businesses and farms. Our job is to reduce their impact. We must make sure what we take is as limited as possible. We must also ensure it achieves important objectives and serves the common good of Missourians."
O'Laughlin's speech comes as many in the State Capitol, including the governor, are calling for significant tax reform. From eliminating the state's income tax to providing relief from property taxes, lawmakers have introduced hundreds of bills related to taxation for consideration in the year ahead.
"State government has never taken more from its citizens," said O'Laughlin. "Over the last five years, Missouri's overall budget has grown by 40 percent. During that same time, wage growth has been modest, at about 3 to 4 percent per year. State spending increased at two to three times the rate of record-high inflation. That kind of government largess is unsustainable."
From an energy perspective, lawmakers have introduced more than 45 bills affecting electric and gas utilities this year. Several of these involve solar generation facilities and attempt to place restrictions on where they locate, how they are taxed and more. Additionally, legislators have sponsored several measures to change the state's Renewable Energy Standard (RES). Passed by voters at the ballot box in 2008, the RES mandates utilities generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. Three of the measures introduced aim to reduce the RES to 7.5 percent.
"As a company, we look forward to working with lawmakers to find ways we can continue to power the quality of life for our customers," said Rob Dixon, vice president of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs for Ameren Missouri. "A balanced mix of energy generation, including nuclear, natural gas, renewables and others is what provides our customers with reliable energy at affordable prices."
The legislative session runs from Wednesday, Jan. 7, through Friday, May 15.