Gov. Michael Kehoe outlines Safer Missouri plan, childcare and education investments in State of the State

Gov. Michael Kehoe delivered the State of the State address to a joint session of the Missouri General Assembly, calling for aggressive public-safety measures, a multi-pronged approach to the fentanyl crisis, a rewrite of childcare regulations and significant new investments in education and workforce development.

Kehoe said his administration has signed six executive orders to launch the "Safer Missouri" initiative and asked the legislature to pass a comprehensive crime bill sponsored by Senators Fitzwater and Schroer and Representative Crist. He proposed targeted funding for law enforcement recruitment, training and equipment, and sought expanded penalties for violent rioting, reckless stunt driving and street racing.

"If a drug dealer sells fentanyl that kills a Missourian, they should be charged with first degree murder, period," Kehoe said. He asked lawmakers to fund $4,000,000 for fentanyl testing in school wastewater systems, noting that was a $2,000,000 increase from last year, and linked the flow of deadly drugs to illegal immigration at the southern border.

The governor proposed a slate of law-enforcement supports in the budget, including an expansion of the Missouri Blue scholarship program, $10,000,000 for the "Blue Shield" equipment-and-training program, and $2,500,000 to support the sheriffs' retirement system for an additional year. He also said his budget would include funding for a new crime lab serving the Highway Patrol's Troop E region.

On childcare, Kehoe announced an executive order directing the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Childhood to rewrite childcare regulations to make them "easier to understand and navigate," and said he expected a plan "to be completed in months, not years." He proposed $10,000,000 in grants to support employer–community partnerships to expand childcare slots and said that starting in fiscal year 2026 providers would receive state payments at the beginning of the month and be paid on enrollment rather than on delayed schedules.

Kehoe framed education and workforce proposals as complementary to public-safety and economic goals. His budget recommendation included a $200,000,000 increase to the foundation formula (the largest since the formula's creation, he said), more than $370,000,000 to fund school transportation, a $33,000,000 boost for teacher salaries, $30,000,000 for small-school grants, $15,000,000 in new capital funding for career and technical education centers and $5,000,000 in annual operational support for CTE programs. He also proposed $1,000,000 to expand career counseling in high schools and announced an executive order establishing a "workforce of the future" challenge to improve coordination among K–12, higher education and industry.

On taxes and regulation, Kehoe said he had directed the Department of Revenue to develop a "sustainable and comprehensive plan to eliminate the individual income tax," and urged lawmakers to pursue Senate Bill 509-style income-tax triggers. He also asked the legislature to pass tort-reform measures and said his administration will pursue a government-efficiency initiative he dubbed "Show-Me DOGE," inviting industry experts to assist state agencies.

Kehoe included several agriculture and infrastructure items in his address: a reappropriation of $100,000,000 for rural road improvements; proposed bonding for a 40,000-square-foot covered multiuse livestock barn and an 80,000-square-foot stalling barn at the Missouri State Fair; $800,000 in permanent funding for Missouri FFA; and proposals to expand state meat and poultry inspection capacity.

The speech concluded with a call to bipartisan cooperation. Kehoe asked lawmakers to advance his priorities while emphasizing faster implementation timelines for regulatory and programmatic changes.

Votes at a glance

Two procedural motions recorded in the joint session were approved. Early in the proceedings the House voted to suspend House Rule 1 23 to admit the governor and senators into the chamber. That motion passed 152 yeas, 3 nays and 1 present. At the close of the joint session a motion to dissolve the joint session was carried by voice vote ("the ayes have it"). Later in the House, a motion to adjourn was moved by the gentleman from Greene County and carried by voice vote ("the ayes have it").