State Sen. Barbara Anne Washington said her bill would keep money in Missourians’ pockets, bolstering maternal and infant health.
By: Steph Quinn
Missouri Independent
Baby bottles, baby wipes and breast pump supplies would be exempt from state and local sales taxes under a bill discussed by a Missouri Senate committee Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Barbara Anne Washington of Kansas City, would eliminate what she described as a “parenting tax” on the items.
“Anything we can do for mothers and to help the families is what I think we should all be down here doing,” Washington told The Independent.
Washington said the bill complements a law passed by the General Assembly last year that excluded diapers and feminine hygiene products from the state sales tax, and state lawmakers in the Senate Committee on Economic and Workforce Development expressed support. But Washington said she anticipates her bill will face opposition this year.
The bill comes as Gov. Mike Kehoe calls for the elimination of Missouri’s individual income tax and state lawmakers consider increases in sales taxes to help replace revenue the state would lose.
A constitutional amendment introduced on Jan. 13, the day of Kehoe’s annual State of the State address, would allow lawmakers to raise state and local sales taxes “for the purpose of reducing and eliminating the state individual income tax.”
Though Kehoe said in his speech that he would not tax agriculture, health care or real estate, the proposed amendment, if passed by Missouri voters, would authorize state lawmakers to tax “transactions involving any goods and services.”
Kehoe’s budget plan proposes cutting $600 million in general revenue expenditures in fiscal year 2027, and the governor in his speech warned lawmakers against reversing his recommended cuts or introducing new spending items.
Washington said she doesn’t think Missouri’s dwindling revenues and diminishing surplus should rule out measures to help families in need.
“If we can let rich people not pay taxes on capital gains, why can’t we let the working people have a benefit as well?” Washington said.
State lawmakers last year repealed Missouri’s capital gains tax despite concerns at the time that revenue losses projected by the state for the measure were inaccurate. The state now anticipates that the tax cut will cost about $500 million in revenue during the current fiscal year and then $360 million annually —more than triple the original estimates.
Parents spend an average of $60 to $150 on baby bottles during a child’s first year, according to an estimate from the state’s revenue department. Though most insurance companies cover the cost of a basic breast pump, according to that estimate, 40% to 55% of parents pay an additional $70 to $200 to purchase an upgraded pump.
The fiscal note for Washington’s bill indicates it could cost the state roughly $1.8 million in fiscal year 2027 and then $2.4 million annually.
State lawmakers praised Washington’s proposed legislation and another bill sponsored by state Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, that would give a $2,400 tax exemption to taxpayers during the year of their child’s birth.
State Sen. Adam Schnelting, a Republican from St. Charles, voiced support for Washington’s bill.
“Anytime I can get on board with reducing or eliminating taxes and encouraging a higher birth rate and encouraging families to grow, I think it’s a good bill,” Schnelting said.
Ryan DeBoef, testifying on behalf of Cross-Lines Community Outreach, which runs Diaper Bank of the Ozarks, described the bill as “a nice resource…to make these kind of products more accessible for our neediest.”
While the bill in its current form would exempt infant care products from state and local sales taxes, Washington said she is open to an amendment leaving local taxes intact.
Washington said that for mothers struggling to make ends meet, the bill is “more than the pennies and the dimes that they’ll save.”
“It keeps more money in the pockets of Missourians, especially as we are challenging affordability at this time,” Washington said. “It reduces the toxic stress that leads to poor health for the mother, which in turn leads to [poor health for] the baby.”