Today is Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday; most government offices in Missouri closed

State Rep. Brad Pollitt (R-Sedalia) testifies before a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City on January 10, 2024 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Today is the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, which is a federal, Missouri, county and city holiday. Banks and financial institutions are closed and there will be no regular mail delivery. MLK Jr. Day is one of Missouri’s 13 official state holidays.

Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. President Ronald Reagan signed bipartisan legislation from then-U.S. Rep. Katie Hall (D-Indiana) in 1983, which created a federal holiday honoring MLK. It was first observed in January 1986.

Most federal, Missouri, county and city offices are closed today, except emergency services like the Missouri State Highway Patrol and county sheriff’s departments. The Missouri Legislature will not be in session today, and state lawmakers don’t return to Jefferson City until tomorrow.

Tonight’s annual MLK candlelight walk and memorial celebration in Columbia has been canceled, based on dangerously low temperatures and potentially hazardous walking conditions.