HB 1268 Missouri House · 2025 Regular Session

Creates provisions relating to taxes for emergency services

HB 1268 allows qualifying local governments (like counties with specific population sizes or municipalities in large counties) to fund fire and ambulance services through new property or sales taxes. It requires voter approval for any new property tax (capping at 25 cents per $100 property value) or sales tax (up to 1% for fire, 0.5% for ambulance), with the sales tax revenue directly reducing the property tax bill by 50% annually. Voters must approve each tax proposal via a specific ballot question before implementation. The bill applies to local governments in defined areas and is currently pending after passing the House committee (8-0).

Issues: ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 11, 2025 Last action Apr 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was revised to replace three repealed sections (321.552, 321.554, and 321.556) with new versions that allow ambulance and fire protection districts to impose sales taxes. The new language clarifies the tax rate limits, ballot language requirements, and how property tax reductions must be calculated based on sales tax revenue.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from adding a new section to repealing and replacing existing sections, though the overall subject matter (emergency services taxes) remains the same.

SCOPE

The bill changed from adding a new section to repealing and replacing existing sections 321.552, 321.554, and 321.556.

ELIGIBILITY

New language clarifies which districts can impose sales taxes and includes specific exclusions for certain counties based on population and charter status.

REQUIREMENT

The ballot language for voter approval was updated to be more specific about sales tax amounts and property tax reduction calculations.

The property tax reduction requirement was clarified to be based on the preceding year's sales tax revenue rather than the current year's revenue.

FISCAL

New provisions require sales tax revenue to be deposited in a special trust fund and specify that 1% of collected taxes may be used for collection costs.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 8, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 8 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0

lower

Apr 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Mar 27, 2025

Committee

Referred: Rules - Legislative(H)

lower

Mar 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 9 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 5

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

HCS Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Committee

Referred: Local Government(H)

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Read First Time (H)

lower

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors