The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 1878 Establishes Civil Liability for Commercial Websites Failing to Verify Age for Content Harmful to Minors
Last action · March 11, 2026: Public Hearing Scheduled, Bill not Heard (H)Sponsor: Renee Reuter
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What This Bill Would Do
Commercial entities publishing websites where 33% or more of the material is harmful to minors are required to use reasonable age-verification methods under House Bill 1878. The measure establishes civil liability for entities that fail to verify ages or that knowingly retain users' identifying information after granting access. News-gathering organizations, internet service providers, search engines, and cloud service providers are exempted from these requirements.
Online publishers face potential civil lawsuits, court costs, and attorney's fees from individuals if minors access restricted content without proper age checks or if user verification data is improperly retained.
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.
Commercial entities
Commercial entities publishing websites with content harmful to minors must implement age-verification methods and face civil liability for non-compliance or data retention.
News-gathering organizations
News organizations and employees are explicitly exempted from the provisions and liabilities established by the section.
Internet service providers
Internet service providers, search engines, and cloud service providers are protected from liability for transmitting or hosting content created by third parties.
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
Which websites are required to perform age verification under House Bill 1878?
Are news organizations and search engines subject to these liability rules?
Can age-verification providers keep copies of user IDs after checking them?
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
5 actions- Mar 11, 2026HousePublic Hearing Scheduled, Bill not Heard (H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: General Laws(H)
- 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
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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