Blueprint for Missouri
Moving Missouri Forward
Cover image: Greg Kenkel
A reference for Missouri policymakers
The Blueprint organizes Show-Me Institute research into four issue areas. Each policy identifies a problem, examines the evidence, and presents recommendations for Missouri policymakers.
Economy
An economy that works for Missourians allows people to earn a living, invest, start businesses, and count on reliable power.
3 Policies
Education
Missouri's education system should give families 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 limited in how fast they grow.
5 PoliciesThe full Blueprint
Each policy presents the problem, the evidence, and the proposal.
Economy
3 Policies
Occupational Licensing
Establish staggered license reviews, cap application review times at 45 days, and offer statewide construction licenses.
Economic Development Subsidies
Renew the Kansas border truce, shift tax-increment financing decisions to counties, and stop subsidizing stadiums.
Energy Reform
Let private, off-grid power systems serve large new customers and end the renewable portfolio standard.
Education
5 Policies
Statewide School Choice
Lift charter limits, grow MOScholars, implement the federal tax credit, and allow open enrollment across districts.
Education Funding Formula
Update property values and enrollment counts, phase out hold-harmless provisions, and simplify funding for high-need students.
School Report Cards
Carry out Governor Kehoe's letter-grade report cards in good faith, then write them into state law.
Missouri Parents' Bill of Rights
Put parents' rights to know what schools teach, spend, and achieve into law, with financial and administrative penalties for violations.
Early Literacy
Require third-grade retention based on academic benchmarks, provide a retest and good-cause exceptions, and train teachers in the science of reading.
Health Care
2 Policies
Free-Market Healthcare Reform
Grant nurse practitioners full practice authority, decide out-of-state license applications within 45 days, and repeal Certificate of Need.
Healthcare Price Transparency
Make posting usable prices a state requirement and bar noncompliant providers from collecting medical debt.
State and Local Government
5 Policies
Income Tax Reform
Let the income tax rate fall below 4.5%, keep lowering it as revenue targets are met, and aim to eliminate it.
Budgetary Reform
Budget full-year costs, include tax credits, measure program results, and create a stabilization fund for recessions.
Hancock Amendment Reform
Tie state revenue and spending limits to inflation plus population growth, and refund excess revenue unless voters approve spending it.
Property Tax Reform
Base home reassessments on community sale averages and phase out personal property taxes, including on livestock, in a revenue-neutral manner.
Welfare Reform
Implement Medicaid work requirements with reliable data and cut Missouri's SNAP error rate below 6%.
Read the full 2027 Blueprint
All 15 policy areas in one document, formatted for printing, sharing, and citing.
Download the Blueprint (PDF)