JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed a bill into law on Thursday requiring adult websites to age-verify users in the state, finalizing a legislative “stamp of approval” for AV rules after Missouri’s attorney general unilaterally imposed similar regulations last year.
In April 2025, in a strategy not previously seen in state-level efforts to mandate age verification, Missouri’s then-Attorney General Andrew Bailey invoked his office’s authority under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA), bypassed the legislative process and announced a new state regulation requiring adult sites to implement age verification of users.
That regulation went into effect Nov. 30, following a public comment period.
After the AG’s controversial move was criticized as undemocratic, state legislators introduced several bills aimed at ensuring that the AV rules would remain in effect even if the AG’s move faced a legal challenge. HB 1839, the measure signed by Kehoe, was among those bills.
The bill originally included a requirement for adult sites to post notices warning users of alleged physical, mental and social harms associated with pornography, despite a previous federal court ruling against such requirements. However, the bill was amended to remove the provisions mandating such “health notices,” and the newly enacted law no longer incorporates that requirement.
Kehoe signed the bill during a ceremony at the Missouri State Capitol, declaring in a statement, “The legislation I signed today strengthens the laws that protect our families.”
The new law takes effect Aug. 28. It will be enforced by Missouri’s attorney general via civil suits, with penalties of up to $10,000 per day, plus up to $250,000 if minors access adult material in violation of AV requirements.
