Missouri Legislative Bills that Passed

The buttons to the left indicate the session. If just a year is displayed, it is a regular session for that year. If the year is followed by SS #, it indicates a special session of that year.

Click the session button to see the list of bills and joint resolutions that passed that session with links to MDN's database for each of the passed measures.

There are six ultimate outcomes for a bill that has cleared the legislature:

1. Became Law
2. To Governor
3. Governor Signed
4. Governor Vetoed
5. On Ballot
6. Voter Approved
7. Voter Defeated

Notes

Became law means the bill cleared the legislature, but the governor did not take any action on the measure. Unlike the federal pocket veto, a bill in Missouri becomes law if the governor does not take action before the constitutional deadline for the governor to sign or veto a bill.

Exceptions include constitutional amendments (joint resolutions) that automatically go on the ballot and bills in which the legislature submitted the proposal to voters rather than to the governor.

Becoming law without action by the governor or voters is rare. Of more than 6,000 bills or joint resolutions passed by the legislature between 1985 and 2022, just 19 became law because gubernatorial inaction.

The percentage of bills passed is less significant for a special session because a special session is limited to the issues for which the governor called the special session. The limited number of bills avoids the log-jam of a regular session that kills many bills. And, of course, the governor's call can create political and public pressure on the limited special session agenda.

Failure of a bill does not necessary represent failure, as conservative Republican legislators in years past regularly told me how they sought to block bills that would expand government powers and\or spending.

In fact, one legislator remarked many years ago he would consider it a successful session if the only thing passed was the mandatory state budget.

Calling up the page of bills that passed in a particular session will list the bills and joint resolutions along with the MDN's description of the bill.

To see more information about a particular measure, click the bill button to the left.

That display will include up to four items:

1. The full bill form, such as SCS HCS SB 1.
2. The bill's principal sponsor along with a link to MDN's home page for that legislator.
3. MDN's full description of the bill.
4. Links to major role call votes involving the measure. Note: the roll call votes are limited to those that MDN's director determined was major of meaningful. MDN did not record votes prior to 1985.
5. Fiscal notes, if any, of the bill. Fiscal notes are estimates of the impact on both state and local government tax collections as well as costs caused by expanded government responsibillities.
6. The official legislatve description of the measure.

Note: The legislature's online digital records do not cover measures prior to 1995.