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HB 1656MISSOURISession 2026State Billdead

Did Not Advance

Missouri House Bill 1656 Modifies Port Authority Powers and Procedures

Original title: WITHDRAWN

Last action · December 18, 2025: Withdrawn (H)Sponsor: Mike Steinmeyer

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Proposed

This bill modifies provisions governing local and regional port authorities in Missouri, adjusting competitive procurement thresholds, expanding powers regarding development and security, and updating guidelines for Advanced Industrial Manufacturing (AIM) zones. It allows port authorities to appoint certified port rangers, sets new expenditure bidding thresholds at seventy-five thousand dollars, and outlines procedures for state grants and tax withholding allocations.

Why it matters

Local port authorities, municipalities, businesses operating within port districts, and state taxpayers are directly affected by changes to port powers, competitive bidding limits, and tax withholding allocations for development projects.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Port Authorities

Port authorities gain updated powers regarding contract procurement thresholds, the establishment of AIM zones, property acquisition, and the appointment of port rangers.

Directly affected

Local Municipalities

Municipalities coordinate with port authorities regarding port districts, police jurisdiction, and project approvals.

Indirectly affected

State Taxpayers

Port authority tax exemptions and the redirection of state tax withholdings into the Port Authority AIM Zone Fund impact state revenue allocations.

Key Facts

Expands port authority powers to appoint and commission port rangers to assist municipal police in maintaining order on port property, requiring peace officer certification under chapter 590.
Increases the expenditure threshold requiring competitive procurement for port authorities from twenty-five thousand dollars to seventy-five thousand dollars.
Modifies the Advanced Industrial Manufacturing (AIM) Zones Act, allowing port authority boards to establish AIM zones by resolution and file annual reports with the department of revenue.
Allows fifty percent of state tax withholdings on new jobs within an AIM zone to be deposited into the Port Authority AIM Zone Fund instead of the state general revenue fund.

Show all 6 facts

Prohibits the establishment of any new AIM zone after August 28, 2030.
Updates provisions regarding port improvement districts, requiring written consent from owners of more than fifty percent by assessed value and per capita of real property within a proposed district.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the new spending threshold that requires competitive bidding for port authorities?

Any expenditure made by a port authority that is over seventy-five thousand dollars must be competitively procured.

Can port authorities appoint their own law enforcement officers?

Yes, port authorities may appoint and commission port rangers to assist municipal police forces in maintaining order and preserving peace within the boundaries of real property owned or leased by the port authority, provided they complete required peace officer training.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Withdrawn.

Procedural history

2 actions

Dec 18, 2025House
Withdrawn (H)
Dec 1, 2025HouseIntroduced
Prefiled (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.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Procurement Threshold Modernization

The bill raises the mandatory competitive bidding expenditure limit for port authorities from $25,000 to $75,000.

Connected Entities

Mike Steinmeyer, Department of Revenue, General Assembly and 2 more

PersonMike Steinmeyer“Representative for District 020 who introduced House Bill 1656.”Map →

OrganizationDepartment of Revenue“State department receiving annual reports on established AIM zones.”Map →

OrganizationGeneral Assembly“The 103rd General Assembly of the state of Missouri.”Map →

OrganizationMissouri Department of Economic Development“State agency determining county average wages and receiving port fund budgets.”Map →

OrganizationHighways and Transportation Commission“State commission responsible for approving local and regional port authorities.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

house.mo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance20
Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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