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State Rep. Brian Seitz outlines legislation, tourism wins and funding for Branson
Summary
State Representative Brian Seitz told Branson aldermen that a tourism omnibus bill and other legislation from the recent session will benefit Branson, including statutory recognition of Branson as the live entertainment capital of Missouri and $4 million in the budget for the Highway 76 project.
State Representative Brian Seitz told the Board of Aldermen that this year’s legislative session produced several measures he said would affect Branson and the region, from tourism promotion to statutory and budgetary actions.
Seitz summarized work he described as the session’s largest single accomplishment for him: passage of House Joint Resolution 73, which he said repeals Amendment 3 and will be placed on the November 2026 ballot if signed by the governor. He said the measure includes exceptions for the life of the mother and fetal anomalies and described it as “the biggest piece of legislation this year.”
Seitz also described work on tourism-related legislation, including an omnibus tourism bill that he said consolidates about 40 pieces of legislation. He said that bill will add “state statute recognition of Branson as the live entertainment capital of Missouri,” which he said will allow the city and local businesses to use that designation in marketing once the governor signs the bill.
Seitz said he was appointed to the state tourism board and that he will use that post and his role on the tourism committee to advocate for Branson. He said he helped secure $4 million for the Highway 76 project in the state budget, adding to prior allocations he described as helpful to local safety and traffic improvements.
He outlined other priorities he worked on: making nondisclosure agreements for adult survivors of child sexual abuse unenforceable in court, working on CID-related statutory changes with the state auditor to increase transparency and compliance, and supporting an amateur-sports tax credit (which he said did not reach the governor this session). He also mentioned sponsoring or supporting other bills (including the Born Alive Protection Act) that did not all reach final passage in the senate.
Seitz spoke repeatedly about promoting local businesses and downtown commerce, saying he has invited state leaders to visit Branson and will continue to push state officials to prioritize local projects and tourism promotion.
Board members thanked Seitz for his work and asked follow-up questions about CID reform and tourism funding; Seitz said he planned to refile certain local bills on December 1 to pursue them in the next legislative cycle.
