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HB 2601

Repeals provisions relating to suspension of professional licenses for failure to pay state taxes or file state tax returns

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Ron Fowler and 1 co-sponsor

Eliminates license suspensions for tax delinquency and creates a centralized Division of Professional Registration to support licensing, budgeting, and workforce data.

Referred: Emerging Issues(H)
#professionalregistrationandlicensing #revenue #departmentof #taxationandrevenue-general
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Bill Summary · HB 2601

Overview

  • Bill: HB 2601
  • Session: Missouri, 2026
  • Purpose: Repeal provisions that authorized suspending professional licenses for failure to pay state taxes or to file state tax returns, and replace them with new structure governing professional registration (sections 324.001 and 337.647).

Main purpose and intent

  • Eliminate the existing mechanism that allows the Director of Revenue to suspend professional licenses if a licensee is delinquent in state taxes or has not filed tax returns in the prior three years.
  • Reorganize elements of the Division of Professional Registration (DPR) under the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance, including establishing its structure, governance, and functions, and clarifying its relationship to various professional boards.

Key provisions and changes

  • Repeal and replacement:
    • Repeals sections 324.001, 324.010, 337.647, and 339.845, and enacts two new sections: 324.001 and 337.647.
  • Division of Professional Registration (DPR):
    • Establishes the Division of Professional Registration as a unit within the Department of Commerce and Insurance, headed by a director appointed with the governor’s consent.
    • Transfers several professional boards to the DPR (e.g., accountancy, cosmetology, architecture/engineering/land surveying, chiropractic, healing arts, dental, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, podiatry, real estate appraisers, veterinary medicine, among others).
    • Outlines that boards receive clerical and staff services from the division for license issuance and renewal; the division handles financial management related to issuance and renewal.
    • Authorizes the division to collect and analyze information for workforce planning, subject to confidentiality protections to avoid identifying individual licensees.
    • Requires the division to maintain accounting, budgeting, and interagency cost allocations; creates a dedicated “Professional Registration Fees Fund” funded by prorated contributions from each board to cover division services and rent.
  • Renewal and licensing processes:
    • Boards shall set licensing periods of one, two, or three years; renewal fees apply for the entire licensing period and may not be increased during the current period.
    • Pro rata first registration fee payments are allowed for the remainder of the period.
    • The division provides and maintains forms for initial registration; boards may provide standard renewal forms.
  • Confidentiality and records:
    • Maintains confidentiality of educational transcripts, testing, complaints, investigations, and other records, with specified exceptions for consent and certain disclosures in interstate exchanges or legal proceedings.
  • Governance and procedural safeguards:
    • Provides that board personnel are hired by the respective board, supervised by the board, and subject to board-approved pay and staffing within appropriations.
    • Requires annual oversight reports on board expense vouchers to the DPR and appropriations committees.
  • Specific sections removed or altered:
    • 324.010 (the provision outlining how tax delinquency leads to license suspension) is repealed.
    • 339.845 references related to notices to real estate brokers are affected by the repeal and reorganization.
  • Workforce data collaboration:
    • Permits certain health-related boards (nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, etc.) to contract with health service entities or universities to collect and analyze workforce data for planning, with strict data controls and aggregate reporting.

Who would be affected

  • State-licensed professionals and licensees in boards moved to the DPR (e.g., accountancy, cosmetology, engineering, architecture, chiropractic, healing arts, dental, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, podiatry, real estate appraisers, veterinary medicine, and more).
  • Boards and their administrative staff who perform licensure and renewal functions; these functions would be centralized under the DPR for clerical and financial services.
  • Government entities issuing licenses, as they would coordinate with the DPR for billing, funding, and service provision.
  • Individuals and providers who rely on confidential records for licensure and disciplinary processes, due to confidentiality protections.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Renewal dates and licensing periods: boards will set 1-, 2-, or 3-year licensing periods; renewal fees lock in for the full period.
  • Funding transfers: money from each board’s fund flows into the Professional Registration Fees Fund to support division operations and rent, with an annual transfer date (July 1) or alternative as determined by the division.
  • Transition: the bill reorganizes the structure of DPR and transfers appropriate boards; cross-agency coordination and budgeting controls are emphasized.
  • Public access: certain deliberations remain confidential, while final decisions after hearings are accessible to parties and the public.

Summary stance

  • The bill repeals a mechanism that suspended licenses for tax delinquency or failure to file tax returns, shifting regulatory structure toward a centralized Division of Professional Registration with streamlined support services, budgeting, and data-collection capabilities for workforce planning, while preserving confidentiality and safeguarding board governance.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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