The state of Missouri has several new laws in 2026. But some news outlets are promoting false laws, which the Missouri Department of Revenue says are fake and generally concocted by AI.
One false report, spread by Spectrum News and others, says that vehicle inspections have been abolished. The fake news has been picked up by reputable news outlets, including television stations, and spread across the internet and social media.
The Missouri Department of Revenue issued the following statement: “This information is incorrect. Missouri law has not changed regarding these issues [vehicle inspections]. Vehicle registration and safety requirements remain unaltered. For clarity, similar proposals have been introduced in recent legislative sessions but never became law.”
But there are actual laws going into effect in other areas. While many laws become effective in late August each year, some include provisions that become official at the start of the new year.
Here are the actual laws going into effect with 2026 arriving.
Education. Missouri schools will implement a new statewide “Stop the Bleed” protocol to train school personnel to respond to severe injuries and medical emergencies. The state is also launching a new teacher-led STEM Career Awareness Program for high school students. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will collect applications for providers to run the program. Both measures are part of a broader education package passed last year to ensure school staff can respond effectively in emergencies and to expand hands‑on STEM opportunities.
Minimum wage. The minimum wage increases from $13.75 to $15 an hour. The legislation leading to the increase repeals annual minimum wage increases based on the Consumer Price Index.
Taxes. Taxpayers can now subtract certain types of income from their state taxable income. This includes income from sales or exchanges of forms of gold and silver defined under state law that otherwise would be included in federal adjusted gross income. The state also changed how estates and trusts are taxed. Missouri resident estates and irrevocable trusts no longer are subject to state income tax on income that is not sourced from Missouri.
READ: Here are the laws that went into effect last year
Beer and malt fees. The state has changed how it assesses fees for inspection and gauging on malt liquor, including certain beers. American-made beer produced by U.S. breweries will be charged at a lower fee of 62 cents a barrel, while imported malt liquor will continue to be charged at $1.86 a barrel. The changes replace a previous system that applied a $1.86 per-barrel fee to all beer.
Emissions. The air emission fee structure is changing to a tiered per-ton fee schedule, meaning facilities will pay higher per-ton emissions fees every year, along with a base fee. Total fees will be based on emissions generated from a previous calendar year. The per-ton fee will start at $58 for emissions generated in the assessed 2025 calendar year and will gradually increase, capping at $62 per ton by the assessed 2027 calendar year. Although these fees apply primarily to industrial facilities, the changes could mean higher operating costs for some industries and increase consumer prices.
–Alan Goforth
