SB 940 modifies Missouri's peer review committee rules to require hospitals to provide all necessary medical records and quality documentation to the state department, or risk losing their trauma, STEMI, or stroke center designations. It expands the definition of "health care professional" to include those licensed under specific healthcare laws and clarifies that quality improvement activities under these laws count as peer review committee work. The bill strengthens confidentiality protections, making peer review discussions, records, and recommendations privileged and non-discoverable in court, while maintaining immunity for committee members acting in good faith. These changes directly affect hospitals seeking to maintain specialty center designations, healthcare providers participating in peer reviews, and the state department overseeing these processes.
HB 1898 requires Missouri's publicly funded state colleges and universities to permit students to use medical marijuana on campus, as authorized under existing state law. The bill directly affects all public institutions of higher education receiving state funding and students with valid medical marijuana authorizations. It mandates that campuses allow such use without disciplinary action and directs the Department of Higher Education to create implementing rules. This policy change would align campus regulations with Missouri's medical marijuana program, requiring institutions to accommodate authorized student use.
HB 2033, known as the "Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act," prohibits health care providers in Missouri from performing gender transition surgeries or prescribing cross-sex hormones and puberty-blocking drugs for gender transition to individuals under 18 years old. The law includes a temporary exception allowing continued treatment for minors who began such care before August 28, 2023, until March 1, 2027. Violations would be deemed unprofessional conduct, risking license revocation for providers, and could lead to civil lawsuits against them. This bill directly affects transgender and gender-diverse minors under 18 seeking medical transition care and the health care providers who treat them in Missouri.
HB 2163 creates a program for nonviolent offenders with serious substance abuse issues (who haven't been convicted of a dangerous felony) to receive treatment instead of immediate incarceration. Eligible offenders undergo 12-24 months of institutional drug/alcohol treatment, with their sentence suspended until program completion. Upon successful completion, participants may petition their sentencing court for limited driving privileges to access work, school, medical care, or treatment programs. The bill replaces three existing Missouri law sections to establish this treatment pathway and driving privilege process.
SB 1143 requires new long-term care facilities (like nursing homes) and expansions of existing facilities to obtain a "certificate of need" from Missouri's health committee before opening or making major changes. This affects developers, healthcare providers, and facilities seeking to add beds or services. Key provisions include: no state funding or licensing without approval, a $1,000 application fee (or 0.1% of project cost), and exemptions for state-operated facilities, research equipment, and transfers of existing facilities. The bill aims to ensure new healthcare projects meet community needs and avoid unnecessary costs, while allowing flexibility for state facilities and medical research.
HB 2262 requires healthcare providers who offer maternity care to screen all pregnant patients for mental disorders and mental illnesses using validated, evidence-based tools during the first prenatal visit and throughout all three trimesters. It directs the state health department to create and publish guidelines for treating these conditions during pregnancy, and mandates that providers either offer treatment or refer patients to care if issues are identified through screening. The bill directly affects pregnant women receiving prenatal care and their healthcare providers in Missouri. It focuses on early intervention for perinatal mental health needs while maintaining strict confidentiality protections under existing state and federal law.
HB 1949 creates new provisions to improve access to maternal health care by allowing state health officials and licensed physicians to issue standing orders for services like prenatal vitamins and doula recommendations without requiring individual patient authorization each time. These standing orders must be posted online, expire after one year unless renewed, and terminate if the issuing professional leaves their position. The bill also provides legal immunity from criminal, disciplinary, or civil liability for professionals issuing orders in compliance with the law. This directly affects Missouri's Medicaid program (MO HealthNet) and eligible patients seeking maternal health services.
HB 1886 establishes the "Designated Health Care Decision-Maker Act," allowing Missouri adults to formally designate a specific person to make health care decisions for them if they become incapacitated (unable to make decisions due to physical or mental condition). This designated person, distinct from existing legal roles like guardians or durable power of attorney agents, must act in the patient's "best interests" by ensuring equal access to care without discrimination based on disability. The bill defines key terms like "incapacitated," "best interests" (including promoting the highest attainable health standard), and "health care" to guide decision-making in hospitals, nursing facilities, or other care settings. It does not replace existing advance directives but creates a new, standardized process for appointing a decision-maker.
HB 1637 repeals multiple existing sections of Missouri law related to healthcare facility licensing and reimbursement, replacing them with four new sections (197.705, 198.530, 208.169, and 208.225). The bill directly affects hospitals, long-term care facilities, and managed care organizations by establishing new requirements for staff identification badges, reimbursement rates for services provided to facility residents, and facility licensing standards. Key provisions include mandating that healthcare personnel wear badges displaying licensure status, requiring managed care organizations to reimburse facilities for covered services at Medicare rates, and setting specific formulas for calculating facility reimbursement. This legislation modifies existing healthcare regulatory frameworks but does not address "certificates of need" as suggested by its title.
SB 1290 - This act establishes the "Missouri Healthy Schools Act" and prohibits public schools from serving, selling, or allowing a third party to sell ultraprocessed food, as such term is defined in the act, on campus during the school day. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall post on its website a standardized form public schools may use to certify compliance with the provisions of the act, along with a list of each public school that has provided such certification of compliance to the Department. This act is identical to HB 2887 (2026) and SB 802 (2025). OLIVIA SHANNON
