Missouri lawmakers send measure limiting authority of U.N., WHO and other international bodies to governor

Missouri lawmakers have sent a measure limiting the authority of specified international organizations within the state to Gov. Mike Kehoe, according to the Missouri Senate’s bill-tracking record.

The legislation, identified in the Senate record as SS/SCS Senate Bills 977 and 1011, is titled the “No Foreign Laws Act.” It would declare that certain international organizations or bodies, including the United Nations, World Health Organization and World Economic Forum, have no jurisdiction or power within Missouri.

The record lists the measure’s status as delivered to the governor. It does not establish whether Kehoe had signed, vetoed or otherwise taken final action on the bill as of Aug. 3, 2026.

Limits on state and local implementation

Under the measure described in the bill record, Missouri state and local public bodies would be prohibited from enforcing or implementing rules, regulations, policies or mandates from the covered organizations.

That provision would apply to public bodies at both the state and local levels. The measure is aimed at the domestic implementation or enforcement of covered organizations’ actions by Missouri governmental entities; the record does not describe it as withdrawing Missouri from any international organization.

The organizations specifically identified in the Senate record include the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum. The bill’s stated approach is to deny covered bodies jurisdiction or power within Missouri while restricting state and local public agencies’ ability to put their directives into effect.

The bill record also identifies a limitation to the proposal’s reach. The Hague Conference on Private International Law is excluded from the definition of organizations covered by the measure.

Foreign-law provisions paired with international-body restrictions

The international-organization language is paired with provisions the Senate record describes as the “No Foreign Laws Act,” concerning foreign law and legal systems. The official bill-tracking summary identifies those provisions as part of the same SS/SCS SBs 977 and 1011 measure.

The record does not provide a complete vote-by-vote legislative history in the available extract. It does, however, show that the measure progressed through the Missouri General Assembly to delivery at the governor’s office.

The bill record lists Aug. 28, 2026, as the measure’s effective date. That listed date describes when the measure would take effect if enacted; it is not confirmation that the bill has become law.

Why the next action matters

The next known step is gubernatorial action. Kehoe’s decision will determine whether the restrictions become Missouri law, are rejected, or are subject to another action available to the governor.

If enacted, the measure would create a state-law restriction on how Missouri state and local public bodies may respond to rules, regulations, policies and mandates from the international organizations covered by the bill. Its immediate focus is governmental implementation inside Missouri, rather than a general statement of foreign policy.

The proposal places a state legislative action in direct relation to major international institutions. At the same time, the Senate record’s limited summary does not establish the measure’s legal validity, how any provision would be applied in a particular circumstance, or the outcome of any potential court challenge.

For now, the confirmed development is that SS/SCS SBs 977 and 1011 have been delivered to the governor, with the Senate record listing an Aug. 28, 2026, effective date for the measure if it is enacted.

Sources

• SB 977 – Bill Information, Missouri Senate