# Missouri SB4: Modifies and creates new provisions relating to utilities Missouri SB4, Modifies and creates new provisions relating to utilities, is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Mike Cierpiot (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-04-09 (Delivered to Secretary of State (G)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MO-SB4-2025 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Missouri SB4 - State: Missouri - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: Modifies and creates new provisions relating to utilities - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-25 - Last action: 2025-04-09, Delivered to Secretary of State (G) - Sponsor: Mike Cierpiot (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (28 yes, 8 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 22 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Households gain heat and cold shutoff protections: benefit, medium. Residential gas and electric customers, including apartment tenants, gain protections against shutoffs for unpaid bills during dangerous weather. From June 1–September 30, cooling service is protected when forecasts predict temperatures above 95°F or heat index above 105°F. From November 1–March 31… - Lower tax assessments for older solar equipment: benefit, medium. Qualifying solar equipment is assessed for property taxes at 5% of its true value. The solar system must have been built and producing energy before August 9, 2022. Covered equipment includes panels, racks, inverters, and related equipment. Actual tax savings depend on local tax rates. - Approved power plans speed project reviews: benefit, medium. Commission approval of a reasonable and prudent preferred power plan can authorize construction or acquisition of named power resources. Construction must start, or an acquisition agreement must be signed, within the four-year action period. The related certificate review then covers company qualif… - Large gas users gain growth discounts: benefit, medium. Qualifying new gas customers adding at least 270,000 CCF annually can receive discounts up to 25% for up to four years. Existing customers adding at least 135,000 CCF annually can receive 25% for up to four years. Discounts cover only variable base-rate charges and require a government economic-dev… - Households can leave mandatory time-based electric rates: benefit, low. Affected residential electric customers can choose rates that do not vary by time of use. This applies where the commission ordered mandatory time-of-use rates before the section's effective date. The commission must authorize the choice and finish the transition within one year after that date. Th… - Possible utility discounts for high-burden households: benefit, low. The Public Service Commission can approve lower residential electricity, gas, or water rates based partly on household utility burden. Approved discounts reduce the normal base residential rate. Any eligibility checks must come from an independent third party chosen through a commission process inv… - Gas safety penalties follow federal limits: benefit, low. Maximum penalties for covered natural gas safety violations now follow amounts set by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. This replaces older state dollar limits and scheduled increases. The rule covers federally required safety standards and stricter commission-approved standards. City-owned gas… - Large power users must cover service costs: benefit, low. Electric companies serving more than 250,000 customers must submit special rates for users expecting peak demand of at least 100 megawatts. Companies with 250,000 or fewer customers on January 1, 2025, must cover users expecting at least 50 megawatts. The commission can require similar rates below… - Large renewable buyers avoid some compliance costs: benefit, low. Qualifying buyers using over 80 average megawatts can avoid renewable-standard compliance costs in proportion to retired certificates and annual usage. Their utility must have had more than 250,000 but fewer than 1 million Missouri retail customers at year-end 2024. Buyers must contract for qualify… - Some large users avoid utility bond charges: benefit, low. Electric customers with at least 80 megawatts of load can avoid specified bond charges under approved market-based rates. Their utility must have had an approved market-based rate plan by the end of 2022. The exemption covers charges approved before the customer's service began. Future extraordinar… - More water companies can seek infrastructure surcharges: cost, medium. Water or sewer companies above 8,000 connections can seek approval for an infrastructure replacement surcharge on customer bills. They qualify through water connections, sewer connections, or the law's specified combination of both. The existing cap remains 15% of the water or sewer base revenue re… - Traditional meter choice brings fees and duties: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, residential customers of rate-regulated utilities can replace advanced or hub meters with traditional meters. Utilities choose the location and must replace meters within a commercially reasonable time; fees cannot exceed $125 once and $15 monthly. The Public Service Commiss… - Electric companies must plan sixteen years ahead: mixed, medium. The commission must begin a resource-planning proceeding by August 28, 2027, and repeat it every four years or as needed. Covered electric companies must file plans every four years, looking at least 16 years ahead. Plans must compare resource options, costs, bill impacts, environmental compliance,… - Electric customers can pay construction costs sooner: mixed, medium. With commission approval, electric companies can include qualifying construction costs in rates before projects begin operating. This replaces the usual accounting allowance for financing those construction costs. Eligible amounts cannot exceed estimated project costs or eligible spending within th… - Federal tax cuts can change electric rates: mixed, medium. Federal electric-company income tax cuts between January 20, 2025, and December 31, 2029, trigger one-time commission authority to adjust rates. The commission must record the financial impact as a deferred regulatory asset until rates change. Deferred amounts are then spread over time in a later r… - Longer electric cost deferrals face tighter caps: mixed, medium. Electric companies already using the covered cost deferrals can continue through December 31, 2035. They can seek five more years by applying by December 31, 2033, with commission approval after a hearing. For deferrals from January 1, 2024, the recovery cap uses 2.25% annually, down from 2.5%, pro… - Power plant closures face reliability safeguards: mixed, medium. Electric companies must make reasonable efforts to put approved replacement generation into service when an existing plant closes. Until it operates fully, they must seek available firm capacity sufficient to meet regional reserve requirements. Replacement power must meet summer and winter capacity… - Projected utility costs face customer refund checks: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, gas, water, and sewer companies can request rates based on projected costs. The projection covers the first 12 full calendar months after the legal deadline for the rate case. The commission can reject this approach when it harms the public interest. Companies must reconcile… - Utility bonds add charges with customer safeguards: mixed, medium. Electric companies can seek bonds for prudent plant-retirement costs or extraordinary costs that otherwise cause extreme rate impacts. The commission must issue a financing order within 215 days and find the financing reasonable, publicly beneficial, and financially beneficial to customers. Approve… - Sewer trustee pay depends on board type: mixed, low. Covered sewer trustees can receive up to $100 per regular or special meeting, generally limited to two monthly and one weekly. Common sewer districts in first-classification counties can pay for four meetings monthly, still limited to one weekly. Common, ten-member, and reorganized district boards… - Utility heating services face competition safeguards: mixed, low. Utilities generally cannot directly provide heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services; affiliate services remain subject to the Fair Competition Law. Grandfathered utilities must have provided service five years before August 28, 1998, generally in areas served before August 28, 1993. Exc… - Utilities fund regulators under new assessment caps: mixed, low. The commission's assessment cap for non-telecom utilities rises from 0.315% to 0.450% of gross in-state operating revenue. Covered phone and internet voice providers have a separate 0.250% cap on their combined revenue. Assessments fund regulation and are allocated using regulatory expenses and rev… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Mike Cierpiot (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-13 | House | Reported Do Pass | pass | 5 | 2 | | | 2025-03-11 | House | Reported Do Pass | pass | 6 | 2 | 1 | | 2025-03-10 | House | Reported Do Pass | pass | 17 | 4 | 2 | ## Actions (23) - 2025-04-09: Delivered to Secretary of State (G) - 2025-04-09: Approved by Governor (G) - 2025-03-25: Delivered to Governor - 2025-03-24: Signed by House Speaker (House) - 2025-03-13: House Message (House) - 2025-03-13: Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed - 2025-03-13: Title of Bill - Agreed To - 2025-03-13: Taken Up for Third Reading (House) - 2025-03-13: Reported Do Pass - AYES: 5 NOES: 2 PRESENT: 0 (House) - 2025-03-13: Voted Do Pass (House) - 2025-03-13: Executive Session Completed (House) - 2025-03-11: Referred: Fiscal Review (House) - 2025-03-11: Reported Do Pass - AYES: 6 NOES: 2 PRESENT: 1 (House) - 2025-03-11: Voted Do Pass (House) - 2025-03-11: Executive Session Completed (House) - 2025-03-10: Referred: Rules - Administrative (House) - 2025-03-10: Reported Do Pass - AYES: 17 NOES: 4 PRESENT: 2 (House) - 2025-03-10: Voted Do Pass (House) - 2025-03-10: Executive Session Completed (House) - 2025-03-10: Public Hearing Completed (House) - 2025-02-27: Referred: Utilities (House) - 2025-02-26: Read Second Time (House) - 2025-02-25: Reported to the House and First Read (House) ## Bill text - Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed, 2025-03-13: [PDF](https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/pdf-bill/tat/SB4.pdf) - Introduced: [PDF](https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/pdf-bill/intro/SB4.pdf) - Perfected: [PDF](https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/pdf-bill/perf/SB4.pdf) ## Related bills - HB3: Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (signed) - HB8: Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Public Safety and the Department of National Guard (signed) - HB11: Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Social Services (signed) - HB10: Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Health and Senior Services, and t… (signed) - SB79: Modifies provisions relating to health care (signed) - SB271: Modifies provisions relating to emergency services (signed) ## Sources - [Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed (PDF)](https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/pdf-bill/tat/SB4.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/pdf-bill/intro/SB4.pdf) - [Perfected (PDF)](https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/pdf-bill/perf/SB4.pdf) ## Related - [HB3: Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MO-HB3-2025) - [HB8: Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MO-HB8-2025) - [HB11: Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MO-HB11-2025) - [HB10: Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MO-HB10-2025) - [SB79: Modifies provisions relating to health care](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MO-SB79-2025) - [SB271: Modifies provisions relating to emergency services](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MO-SB271-2025) - [Missouri bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/missouri/bills) - [Missouri state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/missouri) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MO-SB4-2025 (as of 2026-10-17).