Legislative Update
With the close of another legislative session, this is a good time to take stock of some of the bills impacting cities that passed and have been signed into law by Governor Kehoe. Unless otherwise noted, these bills were effective on August 28, 2026. Please reach out to an LML attorney if you have any questions.
HB 1871 & HB 1940 – Modifies Candidate Filing Dates for Municipal Office
This bill amends Section 115.127.5, RSMo. The language modifies the opening and closing dates for candidate filing and is designed to avoid the problem many cities have experienced in the last few years when the candidate closing date falls on a Christmas Day or New Year’s Day holiday when the city is closed. Under the newly amended law, if the candidate closing date falls on a date that is a state or federal holiday, the closing filing date shall be 5:00 pm on the next day that is not a state or federal holiday. This does mean that if the closing date falls on a date that the city is closed but that date is not a state or federal holiday, the city will have to make arrangements to be able to accept candidate filings on those dates.
SB 916 – Sovereign Immunity Updates
Updates to sovereign immunity statutes clarify that a political subdivision retains sovereign immunity when it acquires insurance coverage as an additional insured. Before this update, a political subdivision may have waived sovereign immunity if it was listed as an additional insured on a contractor’s insurance policy; this is because a political subdivision waives sovereign immunity when it purchases insurance. The updates clarify that being listed as an additional insured on a contractor’s policy does not waive a political subdivision’s sovereign immunity.
SB 907 – Act Against Abusive Website or Web Content Access Litigation
As many are aware, the federal government has instituted new rules on ADA accessibility of political subdivisions’ web content; as a result, some persons and law firms have taken advantage of these regulations and begun suing political subdivisions who are not in compliance. The newly enacted Section 537.1250, RSMo., allows the Attorney General, on behalf of a political subdivision who has been sued for ADA web content violations, to file civil actions against the individuals who have filed the suit. The purpose of the Attorney General’s civil action is to determine whether such litigation is abusive litigation. The application of this new law is limited, so political subdivisions should still work towards compliance with the ADA web content regulations.
HB 2593 – Veteran Enterprise Preference
Section 34.069, RSMo., establishes that political subdivisions must provide a three-point bonus preference for Missouri businesses that are owned by honorably discharged veterans; this is an expansion of Section 34.074, RSMo., which established a three-point bonus preference for Missouri businesses that are owned by service-disabled veterans. Both statutes require that that the business must maintain a Missouri office or place of business. If zero or an insufficient number of veteran-owned businesses do not submit a bid or proposal, the bonus preference does not apply. Both statutes provide more information on how to determine if a business is veteran owned.
HB 2474 – Progressive Design-Build Contracts
HB 2474 provides updates to the design-build project delivery method. Prior to this law, the design-build method could be used on noncivil works projects (such as buildings, site improvement, and other structures) that were in excess of $7 million; this threshold has been lowered to $2.5 million. Design-build contracts still have a three-step process, but this bill also establishes a new process for progressive design-build projects, which is a two-step process. Under the progressive design-build process, Phase 1 shall be the solicitation and evaluation of qualifications of design-builders, while Phase 2 shall be the solicitations and evaluation of proposals for design development, preconstruction services, and construction. Section 67.5060, RSMo., lists specific requirements for the phased process, so particular attention should be given to these requirements when political subdivisions are preparing to use this project delivery method.