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Kehoe highlights public safety investments, education expansion and rural health wins
Summary
Governor Kehoe's address included renewed funding for law‑enforcement grants, scholarships for recruitment, expanded school choice and accountability measures, and a $216 million federal rural health award; he also urged support for juvenile justice reforms and Amendment 3.
Governor Mike Kehoe used portions of his State of the State to outline public safety and education priorities and to recognize first responders and rural health investments.
Public safety: Kehoe highlighted Operation Relentless Pursuit and said the administration would continue funding for that work. He reported that the Missouri Blue Shield program previously received $10,000,000 to provide grants (about $50,000 each) to more than 200 communities and recommended another $10,000,000 in the budget. He also proposed $5,000,000 for public safety recruitment and retention scholarships for the 2026–27 school year, saying the program had more than 700 applications.
Juvenile justice: Kehoe proposed allowing prosecutors to request hearings before a judge for certain violent juvenile offenses and giving judges the discretion to determine whether cases should be held in adult court while keeping juveniles in juvenile facilities and receiving services.
Education and choice: The governor noted a prior $50,000,000 investment in the MOST Scholars program and proposed adding $10,000,000 for a total of $60,000,000. He said Missouri will participate in a federal scholarship tax credit program beginning in 2027 and asked the legislature to pass open‑enrollment legislation while the administration issues an executive order creating a statewide school A–F grade card to improve accountability.
Rural health: Kehoe said the Trump administration awarded Missouri more than $216,000,000 in federal funding through a rural health transformation plan, placing the state in the top ten of awardees nationally.
Kehoe also used the address to recognize first responders involved in 2025 disasters across the state, including search and rescue teams and National Guard engineers deployed to Saint Louis after an EF‑3 tornado. He closed by appealing to lawmakers to work across divides for the long‑term benefit of Missourians.
Details and next steps: The speech presented program recommendations and funding proposals but did not include bill text or legislative enactments. Lawmakers were asked to consider the juvenile justice and open‑enrollment bills the governor referenced; no votes on those bills occurred during the joint session.
