HB 2278 Missouri House · 2026 Regular Session

Establishes the "Interscholastic Athletic Activities Appeals Board" within the department of elementary and secondary education to hear appeals after the activities association appeals process has been exhausted

HB 2278 would require Missouri's statewide interscholastic activities associations - nonprofits managing school sports and activities for secondary students - to be governed by a five-member board appointed by the Governor with Senate approval. This replaces their current governance structure. The board would consist of five members serving four-year terms (with initial terms staggered), appointed by the Governor after Senate consent. The change directly affects all public school districts that pay fees to these associations for activities like tournaments or memberships.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Dec 9, 2025 Last action Apr 14, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to combine HB 2278 with HB 2403, shifting its focus from creating a new governing board for all interscholastic activities to establishing a specific 'Interscholastic Athletic Activities Appeals Board' that handles disputes only for athletic activities. The definition of an 'activities association' was narrowed to require that more than 50% of its activities be athletic, explicitly excluding academic and service organizations. The new appeals board will be established within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and will handle specific disputes like student transfers for athletic purposes and disqualifications, with decisions becoming final.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from covering all interscholastic activities to focusing exclusively on interscholastic athletic activities.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'activities association' now requires that more than 50% of facilitated activities be interscholastic athletic activities, explicitly excluding academic honor societies, service organizations, and other non-athletic student clubs.

REQUIREMENT

A new 'Interscholastic Athletic Activities Appeals Board' was created to hear specific appeals regarding student transfers for athletic purposes, contest procedures, and disqualifications from athletic activities.

The original provision creating a board of directors to oversee all activities associations was removed and replaced with the new appeals board structure.

ENFORCEMENT

The appeals board's decisions are now final and binding on the activities association, and the Attorney General is authorized to represent the board in legal actions.

TIMELINE

The appeals board will only begin operating starting in the 2027-28 school year.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 7 NOES: 3 PRESENT: 1

lower

Apr 1, 2026

Lower · Passed

Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Mar 25, 2026

Committee

Referred: Rules - Legislative(H)

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 11 NOES: 7 PRESENT: 0

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

HCS Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Jan 8, 2026

Committee

Referred: Government Efficiency(H)

lower

Dec 9, 2025

Introduced

Prefiled (H)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor