8th Year, No Finish Line: 2026 Session Ends Without the Exemption
Missouri's legislative session adjourned without passing the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption — the eighth year in a row it has fallen short.
When the Missouri General Assembly adjourned on May 15, 2026, the Missouri Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption once again failed to reach the governor's desk. It was the eighth consecutive year that fair property tax relief for disabled veterans came close, but did not become law.
How the two versions moved
Lawmakers advanced the exemption along two tracks this session, and both ran out of time:
- The statutory exemption (the tiered version, carried as HCS HBs 2306, 2276 & 2089) cleared committee on a 18-2 vote on April 1, 2026, but never received a vote on the House floor.
- The constitutional amendment (HJR 115), which would put a 100% exemption before Missouri voters, passed the House 152-2 on April 20, 2026 — a resounding, bipartisan margin. But it received no hearing in the Senate and died when the session ended.
In other words, the exemption cleared its biggest hurdle — a near-unanimous vote of the Missouri House — and still did not become law. To take effect, the constitutional amendment would also need approval from the Senate and then a statewide vote of the people.
A push for a special session
Veterans' organizations, including the VFW, are urging state leaders not to wait another full year. They are calling for the exemption to be taken up in a special session, and for legislators to commit now to refiling it when pre-filing for the 2027 session opens on December 1, 2026.
The exemption has not passed and is not yet law. But a 152-2 House vote shows the support is there. The task now is to carry it across the finish line.
What you can do
Thank your representative if they supported it, and ask them to back a special session and refile in 2027. It takes about two minutes.