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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 1842 Establishes Civil Action Against Abusive Website Access Litigation
Last action · February 5, 2026: Referred: Rules - Administrative(H)Sponsors: Sherri Gallick and 3 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri House Bill 1842 creates a civil action allowing website operators and the attorney general to sue parties, attorneys, or law firms that initiate abusive website access litigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act or state law. The measure outlines specific factors for courts to determine , establishes a of abuse if a defendant attempts to correct the violation within 30 days, and provides for attorney's fees, costs, and punitive damages.
Website operators sued over accessibility claims face new legal avenues to challenge lawsuits they deem abusive, while plaintiffs and law firms filing accessibility claims face potential liability for attorney's fees, costs, and punitive damages if a court determines their litigation is primarily intended to extract settlement payments.
- State legislatures have increasingly considered measures addressing legal challenges and litigation practices related to website accessibility compliance under the Americans with Disabilities Act. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Residents of Missouri and Missouri business entities
Website operators and residents subject to website access litigation gain the ability to file a civil action to determine if the litigation is abusive and potentially recover attorney's fees, costs, and punitive damages.
Parties, attorneys, or law firms initiating website access litigation
Initiators of website access litigation face potential civil actions challenging their lawsuits as abusive and may be ordered by a court to pay attorney's fees, costs, and punitive damages up to three times the attorney's fees.
Attorney General
The Attorney General is authorized to file civil actions on behalf of a class of residents against parties initiating abusive litigation, issue written determinations regarding whether litigation is abusive, and notify the revisor of statutes if federal standards are issued.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can file a civil action under this bill to challenge website access litigation?
What factors does the court consider when deciding if website access litigation is abusive?
What happens if the website operator attempts to correct the alleged violation?
Under what condition do these provisions expire?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
9 actions- Feb 5, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Rules - Administrative(H)
- Jan 28, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Reported Do Pass (H)
- Jan 27, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Voted Do Pass (H)
- Jan 27, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Jan 21, 2026HousePublic Hearing Completed (H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Commerce(H)
Show 3 earlier actions
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 1, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Creation of State-Level Recourse Against Accessibility Suits
HB 1842 introduces a direct mechanism for state residents and the Attorney General to countersue initiators of website accessibility litigation based on a statutory definition of abusive litigation.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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