WEEKLY CAPITOL UPDATE
August 21, 2026
Judge Blocks Petition Protections, Redistricting from Ballot
A Cole County judge on Aug. 18 upheld Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ refusal to certify two citizens’ petitions for the Nov. 3 statewide ballot – one to overturn Missouri’s gerrymandered new congressional districts and another to prevent the legislature from interfering with the initiative petition process – based on Hoskins’ claim that the measures are unconstitutional.
If Circuit Judge Dan Green’s rulings stand on appeal, they effectively would nullify the nearly 120-year-old right of Missouri citizens to propose laws and constitutional changes independently of lawmakers, or force public votes on acts of the legislature, by empowering the secretary of state to unilaterally block petitions he opposes.
Two weeks earlier, 80.3 percent of Missouri voters soundly trounced a proposed constitutional amendment pushed by Republicans that sought to impose an impossibly high bar for ratifying future constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition. However, Green’s rulings would accomplish a similar purpose by making initiative and referendum petitions easy to thwart, rendering them not worth the substantial effort and expense of pursuing.
Pre-election challenges to citizens’ petitions traditionally have been limited to determining whether a measure conforms with procedural requirements, including if they have a sufficient number of valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, with challenges to constitutionality occurring only if voters later approved a given measure. Never before had a secretary of state asserted the power to declare measures unconstitutional.
The plaintiffs in each case immediately appealed the rulings. The case involving the referendum petition on the gerrymandered congressional districts the Republican-dominated state legislature passed last year to create another GOP-leaning seat was appealed directly to the Supreme Court since it involves the validity of state laws pertaining to the petition process.
In that case, Green, a Republican, also ruled it is too late to block the new districts from being used for the upcoming general elections since the recent party primaries were conducted using them. Green further said its unconstitutional to hold a referendum on congressional districts approved by the legislature, despite the fact that it was done during the 1920s.
The Respect Missouri Voters petition case was appealed to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, although it ultimately is expected to end up at the Supreme Court. That petition seeks to prohibit the legislature from weakening or restricting Missourians’ rights to propose new laws or constitutional changes via initiative petition and prevent lawmakers from unilaterally altering laws enacted by initiative petition and instead require 80 percent majorities in both legislative chambers to submit any proposed changes to voters.
Regarding that measure, Hoskins claimed, and Green agreed, it would interfere the legislature’s authority in violation of provisions of both the state and federal constitutions guaranteeing states a republican form of government. By that logic, however, the initiative and referendum process itself, which has existed since 1908, would be unconstitutional since its whole purpose is to serve as a check against the legislature.
The Respect Missouri Voters petition case is Claire Harris, et al., v. Denny Hoskins. The redistricting petition case is Richard Von Glahn v. Denny Hoskins.
Cost of State’s School Funding Law to Increase by $300 Million
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education anticipates needing an additional $300 million in next year’s budget to provide the minimum level of state funding for local public school districts called for by statute, according to a budget report presented to the State Board of Education on Aug. 18. The department also will require an additional $26.5 million to fully fund the state’s share of districts’ student transportation costs.
However, because state revenues are declining, mostly as a consequence of years of tax cuts enacted by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, it is unlikely Gov. Mike Kehoe, who opposed providing K-12 public schools with the statutory funding minimum during his first two years in office, will call for an increase when he presents his budget recommendations for the 2028 fiscal year in January.
The additional $300 million needed to comply with Missouri’s school funding law includes backfilling the $190 million by which majority Republicans underfunded K-12 education for FY 2027 and a $110 million increase for FY 2028. And because Republicans used one-time funding gimmicks to cover about $100 million appropriated for schools in FY 2027, replacing that money could bump the total amount of general revenue DESE actually needs to comply with the funding law to $400 million.
Known as the foundation formula, the funding law sets forth a series of calculations for determining how much state money each of Missouri’s 518 public schools districts is supposed to get in a given year. Historically, however, the state has underfunded the formula more often than it has fully funded it.
When Kehoe, a Republican, presented his first proposed budget after taking office in 2025, he recommended underfunding K-12 schools by $300 million. However, lawmakers refused to follow the governor’s position and fully funded the formula for FY 2026 anyway.
In offering his proposed FY 2027 state budget earlier this year, Kehoe called for keeping formula funding frozen at the FY 2026 level, which was $190 million less than the amount called for by law. Despite Democratic efforts to increase school funding, majority Republicans in the legislature this time followed the governor’s recommendation.
Retirement of State Budget Director Prompts Job Shuffle
The pending retirement of the Missouri’s longest serving state budget director is triggering a job shuffle in state government, with the director of the state Department of Corrections leaving his post to take on the task of overseeing the budget and the deputy director at corrections replacing him in that agency’s top leadership spot.
Dan Haug is set to retire Oct. 1 after 31 years in state government, including the last 11 as budget director. Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, appointed Haug to the post in 2015 and he stayed on during the administrations of the next three governors, all Republicans.
Current Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Aug. 17 that Department of Corrections Director Trevor Foley will take over as budget director once Haug retires. Foley had worked in budget roles both for the corrections department and state Senate for more than 20 years before becoming corrections director in December 2023.
Deputy Corrections Director Valarie Moseley will in turn take charge of the state’s prison system. While she can begin serving as director immediately upon Foley’s transition to the state Division of Budget and Planning, she will face Senate confirmation in January to remain in the job permanently.
August 2026 Holiday’s Observations
August Awareness
August marks several official health and cultural awareness observances, most notably:
- National Immunization Awareness Month
- National Black Business Month
- National Breastfeeding Month
- National Health Awareness Month
For more August holidays and observations.
The Board of Alderman Regular Sessions Meet Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the Month
Date: 8/11/2026 and 8/25/2026 @ 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Grandview City Hall
1200 Main Street
Grandview, MO 64030
All sessions are open to the public.
WHO KNEW!
Grandview Upcoming Events
Truman Farm Home Tours - 9:30am-noon - 1pm-4pm
The farm will be open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Tours of the home will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 am to 4 pm. The home will be closed from 12 pm to 1 pm for lunch.
The farm is located at 12301 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Grandview, Missouri. Tours are free and first come, first served. The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Check out the National Park Service App and take our self-guided audio tour of the grounds.
The schedule may be adjusted for weather or staffing changes.
