HB 2061 Missouri House · 2026 Regular Session

Provides protections against discrimination and antisemitism in public schools and public postsecondary educational institutions

HB 2061 requires Missouri public schools and colleges to prohibit antisemitic harassment and discrimination as rigorously as racial discrimination. It defines antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's 2016 definition and mandates that schools integrate this into their student, faculty, and employee codes of conduct. The bill explicitly states that criticism of Israel is not antisemitic and clarifies that the law does not infringe on First Amendment rights or conflict with existing federal/state discrimination laws. This directly affects all public educational institutions in Missouri, requiring them to address antisemitic conduct that creates fear or impedes access to campus activities.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Dec 1, 2025 Signed Apr 23, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Senate Substitute (Senate Floor Substitute) Perfected · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was transitioned from a Senate Substitute to its perfected version, finalizing the text for enactment. The core policy requirements remain largely the same, but the language was refined to improve clarity and enforceability, particularly regarding how institutions must define antisemitism and handle complaints.
Scope change
The scope of the bill remains unchanged; it still applies to public schools and school districts in Missouri.
DEFINITION

The definition of 'antisemitism' was updated to explicitly reference the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) Working Definition adopted in 2016, ensuring a consistent standard for identifying prohibited conduct.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for schools to adopt policies was tightened to mandate that they 'integrate' the antisemitism definition into their codes of conduct, rather than just defining it separately.

ENFORCEMENT

The criteria for what constitutes a violation were clarified to focus on whether conduct 'impedes' the normal course of work or study, replacing broader language about creating an 'atmosphere of fear'.

The section regarding criticism of Israel was simplified to state clearly that such criticism is not antisemitic unless it applies materially inconsistent standards compared to other nations.

TECHNICAL

Formatting and numbering were corrected to align with standard legislative formatting for the 103rd General Assembly.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
53
Key actions
19
Committee
19
Amendments
2
Apr 23, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor (G)
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed - AYES: 100 NOES: 17 PRESENT: 19
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Introduced
House Adopts (H) - SS, as amended
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 7 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Voted Do Pass (H)
lower
Apr 8, 2026
Committee
Referred: Fiscal Review(H)
lower
Apr 8, 2026
Introduced
Reported to the House with... (H) - SS, as amended
lower
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Read and Passed with Amendments (S) - SA 1, SA 2, adopted - AYES: 30 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0
upper
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
SS Adopted (S)
upper
Apr 8, 2026
Introduced
SS Offered
lower
Apr 7, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass (S)
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Voted Do Pass (S)
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Referred: Fiscal Oversight(S)
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass (S)
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Voted Do Pass (S)
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public Hearing Scheduled (S) - Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 11:00 a.m., Senate Committee Room1
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Committee
Second read and referred: General Laws(S)
upper
Feb 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Read and Passed (H) - AYES: 109 NOES: 21 PRESENT: 19
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 4 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 2
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Voted Do Pass (H)
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
Referred: Fiscal Review(H)
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Perfected with Amendments (H) - HA 1, adopted
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 10 NOES: 1 PRESENT: 1
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Voted Do Pass (H)
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Committee
Referred: Rules - Legislative(H)
lower
Jan 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 7 NOES: 3 PRESENT: 1
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Voted Do Pass (H)
lower
Jan 8, 2026
Committee
Referred: Emerging Issues(H)
lower
Dec 1, 2025
Introduced
Prefiled (H)
lower
1 primary · 10 co-sponsors

Sponsors