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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers moved one step closer Tuesday to putting age-verification requirements for adult websites directly into state law, with the state Senate voting unanimously in favor of the proposal.
The measure now heads back to the House of Representatives for a final set of procedural actions, including a fiscal review, before it can be sent to Gov. Mike Kehoe for signature. Republicans currently hold supermajorities in both legislative chambers as well as the governor’s office, giving the proposal a clear path forward.
Three separate bills dealing with age verification — HB 1839 from Rep. Sherri Gallick, HB 2921 from Rep. Melissa Schmidt and HB 3015 from Rep. Jeff Farnan — were merged earlier this year into a substitute measure by the House Children and Families Committee.
That combined bill later cleared the House despite objections raised by progressive lawmakers and Democrats focused on civil liberties concerns. In the Senate, however, resistance was limited, and the legislation advanced without significant debate.
Under the proposal, websites in which at least 33 percent of content is considered harmful to minors or classified as pornographic would be required to verify the ages of users before access is granted. The language would apply not only to adult entertainment platforms but also to mainstream social media sites such as Reddit and X if they meet the threshold outlined in the bill.
Missouri officials have already pursued age-verification policies through regulatory action. Former Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued a non-legislative intervention in 2025, an effort later supported by his successor, Catherine Hanaway. Lawmakers backing the legislation say placing the requirement directly into state statute would make it more difficult for future administrations to reverse course.
