Blueprint for Missouri
Seventeen policy areas where common-sense reform could immediately and positively impact everyday life for Missourians.
A reference for Missouri policymakers
The Blueprint organizes Show-Me Institute research into five issue areas. Each section is a working document — concrete, actionable, written for the people drafting legislation, reviewing budgets, and making decisions for the state.
Economy
An economy that works for Missourians allows people to earn a living, invest, and start businesses.
3 Policies
Education
Missouri’s education system should empower families with real choices, operate transparently, and hold schools accountable for results.
5 Policies
Health Care
Health care should be easier to access, easier to understand, and more affordable for patients.
2 Policies
State and Local Government
Governments should be transparent, responsible with taxpayer money, and focused on essential services.
7 PoliciesThe full Blueprint
Each policy is a self-contained working document: the problem, the evidence, the proposal.
Economy
3 Policies
Occupational Licensing
Cut barriers that keep Missourians out of the trades they’re qualified to enter.
Economic Development Subsidies
Stop picking winners; reduce TIF, tax-credit, and grant programs that distort markets.
Nuclear Energy
Permit, build, and operate small modular reactors to meet Missouri’s grid demand.
Education
5 Policies
Statewide School Choice
Empowering families with real options across public, charter, and private pathways.
Education Funding Formula
Reform the formula so dollars follow students and incentives reward outcomes.
School Report Cards
Plain-English accountability metrics every parent can read and act on.
Missouri Parents’ Bill of Rights
Codified rights to records, curriculum, and meaningful participation.
Early Literacy
Evidence-based reading instruction beginning in kindergarten.
Health Care
2 Policies
State and Local Government
7 Policies
Income Tax Reform
Flatten brackets, broaden the base, and lower the rate Missourians actually pay.
Property Tax Reform
Caps, exemptions, and assessment fairness for Missouri homeowners.
Budgetary Reform
Bring obligations back into line with revenue, not the other way around.
Taxpayer Bill of Rights
Codified protections so Missourians know what their tax dollars can — and can’t — do.
Office of Government Efficiency
An accountable, mission-specific office to audit how state government actually runs.
Local Government Transparency
Open records, open meetings, and open budgets — by default, not by request.
Welfare Reform
A welfare system that helps Missourians rise, not one that traps them at the bottom rung.
Read the full 2026 Blueprint
The print edition collects all 17 policy recommendations in a single document — formatted for printing, sharing, and citing.
Download the PDF