With the 2026 legislative session ending this week, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe is reviewing bills and deciding which ones become law.
One of them involves the Missouri State High School Activities Association or MSHAA, which is a priority for the governor this year. The bill started as a broad look at how MSHAA operates, but it was scaled back significantly before reaching his desk.
“The bill has changed a little bit as it went through the process. It provides an appeals board that folks can go to if they think MISHA didn't make the right decision on a certain circumstance. We're reviewing that now, but certainly it gives a little bit more oversight and accountability to the process," Kehoe tells reporters
The revised bill creates a governor appointed commission, to review certain disputes like transfer eligibility and contest-related decisions after the current MSHSAA process.
“We've had Missourians from one end of the state to the other, including many, many, many elected officials who have said MISHA is a publicly funded institution. They say they're not, but they are. We believe this bill gives a little bit more accountability and still allows us to have a great system here in Missouri.”
The question becomes, does the final bill on Governor Kehoe's desk go far enough?
“Sometimes in that building you get a bill a little bit down the field and you take a win with it. I know there were people who wanted additional accountability measures put in," Kehoe explains. "I think this is a great start and it gives some additional accountability for schools, parents, and student athletes alike.”
If signed into law, the bill would also create the Interscholastic Oversight Athletic Commission under the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for the 22 activities governed by the Missouri State High School Activities Association.
Missourinet