Ben Explains: H.J.R. 173 Constitutionally Protects School Funding And Eliminates State Income Tax
- James O'Brien
- Mar 30
- 1 min read
Ben Keathley Explains the Issues HJR 173 and education funding (automated transcription)
"This is a mistruth, misunderstanding or just an outright lie that H.J.R. 173, the elimination of income tax, will adversely affect school districts. And the reason that's not true is it is directly in the language of H.J.R. 173. We would be putting in the Constitution a prohibition on political subdivisions' ability to eliminate school district funding.
There are constitutional protections in the bill language that require us to make sure we're preserving whatever funding is currently going to the school districts. What that means is any expansion of the sales tax base, any that does happen, not in HJR 173, but could happen in the future, any elimination of the income tax, the trade-offs that are made in these cannot adversely hit the school districts.
They are constitutionally protected. School districts cannot lose any money as a result of eliminating the income tax." Representative Ben Keathley, District 101
Current Bill Version in the 103rd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session: https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HJR%20173&style=new&year=2026&code=R
HJR 173 & 174 Speaker Patterson, 030, Representative Davidson, 130,
Eliminates Income Tax over time, vote of people required
Governor Kehoe State of the State and Income Tax Elimination
Comments