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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 2486 Updates Soil and Water Conservation and Healthy Soils Practices
Last action · May 15, 2026: Referred: Emerging Issues(H)Sponsor: Emily Weber
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri HB 2486 redefines and expands state soil and water conservation statutes to incorporate healthy soils and watershed health standards, and updates the composition and authority of the State Soil and Water Districts Commission.
Farmers, landowners, and local soil and water districts across Missouri will operate under updated statutory definitions for healthy soils and watershed management, affecting eligibility standards for state cost-share programs and conservation assistance.
- Missouri's soil and water conservation districts operate under state statutes originally established to combat soil erosion and manage watershed protection. 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.
Farmers
Farmers are subject to updated statutory definitions of healthy soils practices and may participate in district cost-share programs and request rule variances.
Landowners
Landowners retain protection of private property from district debts while being eligible for local conservation agreements and services.
Soil and water conservation districts
Local districts operate as bodies corporate with updated duties regarding soil health, watershed health, and stormwater mitigation.
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
What constitutes healthy soils practices under this bill?
Who serves on the State Soil and Water Districts Commission?
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
4 actions- May 15, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Emerging Issues(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 17, 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.
Formal Statutory Inclusion of Healthy Soils Standards
The bill integrates modern healthy soils and watershed health principles directly into Missouri conservation statutes, expanding beyond traditional soil erosion controls.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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