Season of Renewal and Hope

By Senator Mike Henderson

I hope everyone came out of the storms this past week in good shape. I know parts of our area were hit hard with catastrophic flooding, and my family’s thoughts and prayers are with those of you dealing with the aftermath. With Easter just around the corner, I – like many others – look forward to a season of renewal, hope and positive progress for our nation.

The last day of session – May 16 – will be here in the blink of an eye. We have much left to do and a short amount of time to do it. We have made major progress so far, and I am optimistic for a great finish. An abundance of floor time in the next few weeks will be taken up by our constitutional duty of finalizing Missouri’s fiscal year 2026 operating budget. The House of Representatives approved their version of the budget, sent it over to the Senate, and the Senate Appropriations Committee – which I am proud to serve on – will begin marking it up. The General Assembly’s deadline to pass a balanced state budget is May 9.

On April 9, the governor signed Senate Bill 4 into law. This bill modernizes outdated utility regulations, prevents power outages, strengthens Missouri’s energy infrastructure and supports long-term economic development. 

House Bill 594 & 508, authorizing an income tax deduction for capital gains, was passed in the Senate this week and sent back to the House of Representatives for final approval. This bill would also exempt essentials like diapers and feminine hygiene products from state sales tax and increase income limits and credit amounts for the circuit breaker property tax relief program, which assists low-income seniors and disabled individuals. If the House approves the Senate’s changes, the bill will go to the governor, who has said one of his priorities this session is to eliminate taxes on capital gains.

Other bills third read and passed since my last Capitol report include:

• Senate Bill 133– Modifies and creates new provisions relating to underground facilities.
• Senate Bill 166– Requires public schools to develop cardiac emergency response plans.
• Senate Bill 266– Establishes provisions relating to assessment of virtual school students.

While I have numerous bills moving forward this session, I’d like to highlight a couple here today. This week on the floor, we discussed my Senate Bill 69. This bill modifies provisions of the Higher Education Core Curriculum Transfer Act to save college students time and money by making it easier for them to transfer college credits in several popular degree programs. An advisory committee would agree on 60 credit hours of lower-division, core curricula for general business, elementary education and teaching, general psychology, registered nursing and general biology and/or biological science. Any public, higher education institutions that offer these degree programs would use a common numbering system for classes, allowing students to more easily transfer credits from other schools. The goal here is to help college students enter Missouri’s workforce faster and with as little debt as possible.

We all know the opioid crisis has affected many families, not just in Missouri. I believe health insurance should cover alternatives to addictive and potentially dangerous opioids for patients who need pain medication. Senate Bill 158, which I feel very strongly about and believe would save lives, was voted do pass in the Senate Insurance and Banking Committee. This legislation would force insurance companies to cover non-opioid pain medication for those with family histories or a likelihood of addiction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved non-opioid and non-addictive pain medication, which could be a step in the right direction.

2025 Senate Art Exhibit Celebrates Arts Education in Missouri

I was honored to present a courtesy resolution to Kaylynn Gilbert, a senior at North County Senior High School in Bonne Terre, during a special ceremony this week in the Capitol’s Rotunda. Kaylynn’s scratchboard drawing titled, “Raccoon” was selected for the 2025 Senate Art Exhibit, located in the Capitol, and will be on display from now through March 2026.

Established in 2014 as a joint effort between the Missouri Fine Arts Association and the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, the Senate Art Exhibit showcases fine arts programs and aspiring young artists from all 34 Missouri senatorial districts.

Visiting with Constituents

Senator Henderson meets with constituents at the Missouri State Capitol for Child Advocacy Day.

Senator Henderson visits with members of the Jefferson College Leadership Academy.

Senator Henderson speaks with Washington County Sheriff, Scott Read, and Ste. Francois County Sheriff, Jeffrey Crites.

Senator Henderson visits with Kelly Downs, director of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri.

Senator Henderson talks with Debbie Bust, executive director of the Washington County Community Partnership.