Kehoe signs bills aimed at boosting growth and expanding healthcare access
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Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a package of legislation Monday focused on economic development, healthcare access and legal reforms, approving measures designed to encourage business investment, expand telehealth services and strengthen patient protections.
Among the measures signed was House Bill 3231, known as the Missouri Innovation, Public Safety and Accountability Act, which expands economic development incentives and creates new tools to attract investment across the state.
The law establishes a new Missouri Works incentive for capital investments exceeding $50 million, reauthorizes the Missouri Downtown Economic Stimulus Act, creates the Missouri Innovation Zone program to encourage redevelopment in downtowns and main streets, and establishes an angel investment tax credit to support startup companies and entrepreneurs.
Kehoe said the legislation will help revitalize communities while encouraging long-term economic growth throughout Missouri.
The governor also signed Senate Bill 916, which modifies provisions relating to sovereign immunity.
In a separate bill signing ceremony, Kehoe approved six healthcare-related bills aimed at improving access to care, increasing transparency and expanding protections for patients.
House Bill 2372 broadens access to telehealth by allowing patients to establish physician relationships through virtual visits and expands the role of community paramedics in providing primary and preventive care in underserved areas. The measure also increases transparency in hospital pricing and insurance prior authorization practices, adds protections related to anesthesia coverage and contrast-enhanced mammograms, and directs the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to begin tracking Alpha-gal syndrome.
House Bill 2974 expands licensure reciprocity for healthcare professionals, allowing eligible providers to deliver telehealth services in Missouri and enabling physician assistants to practice across participating interstate compact states without obtaining additional licenses.
Senate Bill 999 creates the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, extending legal protections to infants who survive abortion attempts. The measure also expands the Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Board and directs it to monitor maternal deaths in maternity care deserts.
Kehoe also signed Senate Bills 878, 1019 and 1233, which make additional changes to pharmaceutical regulations, healthcare policy and professional licensing requirements.
The governor said the healthcare legislation is intended to improve access to medical services, particularly in rural communities, while increasing accountability and strengthening protections for Missouri patients.
