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HB 2998 Missouri House · 2026 Regular Session

Modifies provisions relating to rural economic development

HB 2998 modifies Missouri statutes to support rural economic development through several concrete measures. It prohibits electric utilities from closing coal-fired power plants for five years (§393.407), requires solar projects to source 90% of equipment and labor from Missouri or the U.S. (§393.1120), and caps solar development on cropland at 2% per county (§393.1122). The bill also mandates prioritized funding for rural roads based on population (§226.035) and establishes a Rural Development Office within the Department of Economic Development to coordinate rural programs and report on community needs like broadband and healthcare (§620.070). These provisions directly affect utilities, solar developers, transportation planners, and rural communities across Missouri.
Issues: ✗ EnergyOpposes EnergyProhibits coal plant closures (fossil fuel support) and caps solar development (limits renewables), opposing renewable energy expansion per bill provisions.85% confidence ✗ EnvironmentOpposes EnvironmentProhibits closing coal plants for 5 years, delaying fossil fuel transition and weakening emissions reduction efforts despite solar provisions.90% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationMandates prioritized funding for rural roads based on population (§226.035), directly advancing transportation infrastructure funding per bill's Transportation subject and summary.95% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 15, 2026 Last action Apr 22, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → House Committee Substitute · 7 edits
MODERATE
The bill was revised to remove provisions related to rural road prioritization, coal plant closures, solar manufacturing requirements, and solar land-use caps, while retaining and slightly updating the creation of a new Rural Development Office. The scope of the bill was narrowed from amending three chapters (226, 393, and 620) to only two chapters (226 and 620), and the number of new sections was reduced from six to two. The reporting deadline for the Mississippi River feasibility study was extended from December 1, 2026, to December 1, 2029.
Scope change
The bill's scope was significantly narrowed by removing all provisions related to Chapter 393 (energy and solar regulations) and the specific rural road funding priority in Chapter 226, leaving only the Mississippi River feasibility study and the Rural Development Office.
SCOPE

Removed the requirement to prioritize rural road projects in the statewide transportation improvement program.

Reduced the number of amended chapters from three to two and the number of new sections from six to two.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the ban on closing coal-fired power plants for five years.

Removed mandates requiring 90% of solar equipment and labor to be sourced from the United States and Missouri.

Removed the cap limiting solar projects to 2% of cropland per county.

Added a new duty for the Rural Development Office to serve as a liaison to federal, state, and local agencies.

TIMELINE

Extended the deadline for the Mississippi River feasibility study report from December 1, 2026, to December 1, 2029.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
7
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Apr 22, 2026
Lower · Passed
HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 21 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0
lower
Apr 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
HCS Voted Do Pass (H)
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Referred: Agriculture(H)
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Introduced
Introduced and Read First Time (H)
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Louis Riggs
Louis Riggs
RRepublican
MO
5