HB 1678 requires hotels, motels, vacation rentals (including those listed on platforms like Airbnb), and similar lodging establishments with five or more guest rooms to provide human trafficking awareness training to all employees. The training must cover identifying trafficking signs, distinguishing labor/sex trafficking in hospitality settings, reporting procedures to the national hotline or local law enforcement, and contact information for support. Operators must provide initial training within 180 days of hire or listing, conduct annual refresher training by December 31st, and maintain training records for one year after employment ends. This bill directly affects all lodging businesses and short-term rental operators in the state, aiming to equip staff to recognize and report potential trafficking incidents. The bill is currently pending (prefiled and read first/second time in 2026).
SB 1030 would require the state legislature to approve any federal regulation before state agencies can enforce it. This applies to all state departments and agencies, preventing them from implementing federal rules without explicit legislative consent. The bill mandates that enforcement of federal regulations cannot proceed until the General Assembly votes to approve it. This policy change shifts authority to the legislature, requiring prior approval for state enforcement of federal rules.
SB 1031 prohibits state departments from using public funds for specific diversity initiatives. It directly affects state agencies and their budgets by banning expenditures on certain programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The bill's key mechanism is a clear spending restriction on designated initiatives, without defining them further in the provided abstract. Currently, the bill has been prefaced and referred to the Government Efficiency Committee for review.
SB 1241 would allow workers who earn tips (such as servers or bartenders) to deduct their total tipped income from their taxable income when filing state income taxes. This means their taxable income would be reduced by the amount they earn in tips, lowering the overall tax they owe. The bill directly affects service industry workers who rely on tips as a significant part of their earnings. It creates a specific tax deduction mechanism for tipped income, rather than changing the tax rate or adding new taxes.
HB 3072 modifies workers' compensation benefits for injured workers by updating weekly payment formulas based on injury dates. It sets specific percentage rates (66.67% of average weekly earnings) with caps ranging from 70% to 105% of the state's average weekly wage, depending on when the injury occurred. The bill also establishes a $40 weekly minimum, clarifies that death benefits for permanent total disability do not pass to dependents, and creates special provisions for toxic exposure cases - requiring employers to pay up to 200 weeks of benefits for non-mesothelioma diseases and 312 weeks for mesothelioma (with employer election options until 2038). These changes directly affect workers injured on the job and their dependents in cases of permanent disability or death.
HB 2955 creates a Missouri tax credit for businesses and organizations providing services to homeless individuals. Eligible taxpayers (such as job training agencies, employment providers, or housing organizations) can claim up to $10,000 annually in income tax credits for services like job training, employment (28+ hours/week at minimum wage), or housing support specifically for homeless persons. Certification by the Department of Economic Development is required, with annual renewal, and credits are non-refundable but carry forward for up to three years. The total annual credit amount is capped at $1 million. This bill directly affects service providers who meet the certification criteria, not homeless individuals themselves.
HB 3032 strengthens fraud prevention in Missouri's workers' compensation system by adding criminal penalties for false claims and insurance violations. It makes it a felony to submit multiple claims for the same injury, present false information to obtain benefits, or intentionally refuse valid claims, with fines paid back to the workers' compensation fund. Employers with five or more employees (or construction employers with five or more) must carry insurance, and failure to do so results in escalating penalties. The bill also creates a dedicated fraud unit within the workers' compensation division to investigate violations and enforce these new provisions.
HB 2855 modifies Missouri's workers' compensation tax system by establishing a 2% tax on insurers' net premiums and a separate annual surcharge (up to 3%) for the Second Injury Fund. It requires all workers' compensation insurers, self-insuring employers (including state agencies and local governments), and policyholders to pay these taxes/surcharges on premiums or assessments. The surcharge is calculated annually to cover 110% of expected Second Injury Fund payments, based on prior year's premiums, and must be collected quarterly by insurers. All surcharge revenue funds the Second Injury Fund, which supports workers with pre-existing injuries aggravated by workplace accidents.
SB 1597 changes rules for retirees who return to work for their former local government employer. Generally, retirees who rejoin their original employer must forfeit part of their monthly retirement benefit for each month they work. However, it creates an exception for small cities (under 25,000 population): retirees there can keep full retirement benefits while working, provided the salary matches comparable positions and the city covers the retirement contributions instead of the retiree. The bill also clarifies that retirees working for a different employer can keep their full retirement allowance.
This bill requires regular inspections of fire safety dampers (devices that prevent fire/smoke spread through HVAC systems) in most non-residential Missouri buildings, excluding small homes. It mandates an initial inspection within 12 months of installation and subsequent checks every four years, following NFPA standards with physical visual inspections required (not remote methods). Inspectors must hold specific ICB certifications or equivalent, and building owners must maintain compliance records, issue deficiency reports for failures, and post public verification notices. These requirements apply to commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, and other multi-use structures governed by Missouri political subdivisions.
