HCS HB 2085 -- TOBACCO PRODUCTS (Keathley)

COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on Commerce

The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HB 2085.

This bill specifies that the State of Missouri must preempt the sale of tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and vapor products.

This preemption will include local ordinances that deal with:

(1) Ingredients;

(2) Setting the age to sell or purchase at 21 years of age and above; and

(3) Licensing and products bans.

In addition, existing state regulations on the sale of tobacco products to minors found in Sections 407.924 through 407.934, RSMo, will supersede any local laws, ordinances, orders, rules, or regulations enacted by a county, municipality, or other political subdivision regulating the sale of tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products.

The bill does not prohibit counties, municipalities, or other political subdivisions from enforcing ordinances or regulations that set the age to sell or purchase tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and vapor products to individuals under 21 years of age.

This bill will not apply to any local laws, ordinances, orders, rules, or regulations enacted by a county, municipality, or other political subdivision prior to January 1, 2026.

This bill is similar to HB 344 (2025); HB 2060 (2024); HB 1039 (2023); and SB 522 (2023).

HCS HB 2384 -- APPLICATIONS FOR PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS (Jones (12))

Committee of Origin: Standing Committee on Commerce

This bill prohibits any county or municipality from enacting or maintaining any ordinance, regulation, or other policy that requires an owner, builder, or developer to comply with energy efficiency or other energy related standards or requirements that exceed those permitted under this Section in the construction, maintenance, or renovation of townhouses, multiunit apartment buildings, or commercial or industrial buildings, with the intent to improve energy efficiency, and other standards specified in the bill, that threaten the affordability of the construction, maintenance, repair or renovation.

The bill prohibits any county or municipality from enacting or maintaining any ordinance, regulation, or other policy that prohibits a building of less than six stories with a Group R-2 occupancy, or its equivalent, under certain conditions described in the bill.

This bill requires a political subdivision to approve or deny a "request", as that term is defined in the bill, within 30 calendar days. If no response is received by the applicant within 30 days, the request will be deemed approved and the applicant is authorized to proceed with construction.

If the request is approved, the political subdivision cannot later impose additional requirements on the applicant related to the request.

If the request is denied, the political subdivision must state the reason for denial in writing to the applicant. Details that are required to be included in the written denial are provided in the bill.

A request can also be denied as incomplete. In this instance the political subdivision must also state in writing why the request is incomplete, with required details described in the bill. A political subdivision will have 20 days to deny a request as incomplete.

Currently, municipal clerks are required to keep at least three copies of the published book of the general ordinances of the municipality on file in the office of the clerk and available for inspection by the public. This bill allows municipal clerks to keep only one copy of the published book of the general ordinances on file if the ordinances are also available online for inspection without cost by the public.

HCS HBs 2404 & 2172 -- PROPERTY USED BY SCHOOLS (Hruza)

COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on Emerging Issues

This bill prohibits ordinances, resolutions, and policies that prohibit school districts from leasing, selling, or transferring property to a charter school for a lawful educational purpose. A political subdivision is similarly prohibited from imposing any deed restriction or property-use restriction that prohibits property sold or leased by the political subdivision from being used by a charter school.

Additionally, when a school district offers to sell or lease an unused school building or facility that is not being used for academic, extracurricular, administrative, or athletic purposes, and that either has no school-board-approved plan for future use or has a plan that has not been carried out within two years, the contract must include a right of first refusal allowing a public entity to purchase or lease the property first. The term "public entity" includes the State of Missouri and any of its political subdivisions, such as cities, counties, boards, agencies, or authorities.

The bill requires districts to provide public notice on the district's website, including the square footage, contact information, and expiration date of right of first refusal which must be 60 days from the first notice.

The bill outlines conditions for the selling or leasing of unused facilities to public entities and provides public entities with six months from making a written offer to complete a purchase or lease. If a public entity plans on selling an unused facility, it must first offer the facility to the district from which it was purchased for first refusal.



This bill is similar to HB 2172; SB 1273 (2026); and HB 1363 (2025).

HCS HB 2600 -- AMBULANCE DISTRICTS (Farnan)

COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on Local Government

The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HB 2600.

Currently, county commissions divide newly-formed ambulance districts into six subdistricts for the election of members to the district's board of directors.

This bill allows county commissions to choose between the above- mentioned district plan or for the election of an at-large board of directors. Members of the board must be elected at a regularly scheduled election date.

The bill allows an ambulance district, by a vote of 2/3 approval of the board of directors, to abolish the boundaries of its existing subdistricts if the board is unable to find a qualified candidate to fill each subdistrict position. This must occur after a public hearing.

The bill allows an ambulance to establish subdistricts by a vote of 2/3 approval of the board of directors. The boundaries of the subdistricts will be established by the county commission.

Currently, six-member ambulance district boards can adopt a resolution changing the size of the board to seven, with one board member running district wide, or decreased to five, or three members. This bill requires such a resolution to name any vacancy to be filled at a subsequent election, if the size of the board is increasing. If the size is decreasing, all existing board members will complete their terms.

This bill requires county commissions, upon written request of a majority of the remaining members of the ambulance board, to fill vacancies on the board by appointment within 30 calendar days.

Currently, if a question of annexation is submitted to voters and approved, the county commission declares by order the territory annexed. This bill requires the county commission to do this within 30 days of the filing of the petition.

The bill requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to prioritize and expedite any activities necessary to facilitate the consolidation of ambulance districts once the consolidation has been approved by voters. This bill describes the necessary criteria that must be included on every petition or resolution calling for an ambulance district consolidation, as provided in the bill. The consolidation plan must be filed with the county clerk and presented to the county commission.

Notice of intent to consolidate is required to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in every county in which the consolidated district will be located. A joint public hearing will be held within 30 days after the date of the second publication. The bill details the formatting of the notice of intent.

Currently, consolidation of an ambulance district is only permissible if approved by voters. This bill requires a public vote on the consolidation if an objection is filed. If no objection is filed within 30 days of the public hearing, the county commission will order the districts consolidated. Objections must be signed by no less than 5% of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election in the district.

A consolidated district can impose an initial tax levy up to the highest tax levy of the consolidating districts, provided the levy is specifically set forth in the ballot language and submitted to and approved by voters. If no vote occurs, the consolidated district can impose a tax equal to the lowest of any existing property or sales tax rate of the districts to be consolidated.

All assets and obligations of the existing ambulance districts will become assets and obligations of the consolidated district.

This bill is similar to SB 975 (2026).

HCS HB 2774 -- REGULATIONS BASED ON FUEL SOURCES (Knight)

COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on General Laws

This bill prohibits the state and political subdivisions from making any law, rule, regulation, or ordinance that restricts the sale or use of motor vehicles, tools, or farm equipment based on fuel sources.

The bill does not prohibit any city with more than 16,000 but fewer than 18,000 inhabits that is also the county seat of a county with more than one million inhabitants from restricting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers by law, rule, regulation, or ordinance. Upon enactment, this would apply to the City of Clayton.

This bill is similar to HB 1455 (2025).