Missouri senators urge slower vetting as budget errors and HJR 165 drafting raise alarms

JEFFERSON CITY — Senators spent much of the Jan. 28 floor session pressing for more deliberate review of legislation and gubernatorial appointments after recent budget mistakes and drafting errors prompted concern.

The session opened with prayer by Reverend Stephen George and the daily pledge before senators approved the journal and took up committee reports. The bulk of floor time, however, turned to a sustained inquiry about how the chamber reviews bills and budget details.

Senators cited recent examples they said showed the risks of rushed action. The Senate floor discussion referenced a double-counted item in the executive budget that officials later acknowledged as about $260,000,000, and senators noted wide variance between initial and revised fiscal-impact estimates on tax legislation. “When things go too fast, mistakes are made,” one senator said, arguing the chamber should review fiscal notes and line items more closely.

Lawmakers debated House Joint Resolution 165, a brief proposed constitutional amendment pitched as part of a plan to eliminate the state income tax and replace revenue with broader sales and use taxes. Senators warned the HJR as drafted contains drafting errors — including references to nonexistent constitutional sections — and said its mechanics would not, in practice, eliminate income tax automatically; instead it would give the Legislature greater authority over which exemptions remain and could enable future tax changes without a direct vote to eliminate income tax.

“There's nowhere in this thing that says they're getting rid of the income tax,” a senator said on the floor, noting the proposal would expand taxes on many services and goods the poor and fixed‑income residents currently do not pay.

The floor also reviewed the fiscal consequences of recent policy choices. One senator said fiscal-impact estimates for a proposed elimination of capital gains treatment rose from an earlier estimate of roughly $110 million to “nearly $500,000,000” for FY 2026 — a shift senators said should have triggered deeper review of budget tradeoffs. Senators tied those numbers to potential cuts in education, transportation and home‑and‑community services for seniors and people with disabilities.

Appointments and board confirmations drew parallel scrutiny. A slate of gubernatorial appointments was presented to the Senate’s gubernatorial appointments process; several senators described an uneven vetting process and flagged vacancies on boards that raised operational and oversight concerns. Committees examined nominees for the Drug Utilization Board, the Elevator Safety Board, the Missouri Ethics Commission and the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Rules Commission, and senators emphasized the need to match nominees’ expertise with the technical responsibilities of particular boards.

Senators also discussed city police commissions newly under state oversight, including residency and diversity questions raised at local town‑hall style vetting events for nominees. Lawmakers who sponsored or vetted nominees said they had hosted public sessions so constituents could question candidates and the nominees could respond.

The Senate concluded the day under an adjournment motion. Leaders said the matters discussed — fiscal accuracy, clearer drafting and more thorough vetting of appointees — will be priorities as the session continues.

What’s next: Senators said they expect to continue deliberations on budget line items and to review the HJR language in committee and on the floor before any final votes are scheduled.