Education

HB 2721, the "Success for Homeless and Foster Youth in Higher Education Act," requires Missouri public colleges and universities to appoint a dedicated liaison in their financial aid offices to assist homeless and foster youth with financial aid applications and support services. The bill mandates that the state create and maintain a public directory of these liaisons and allows institutions to grant resident status to homeless or foster youth under 19, regardless of how long they've lived in Missouri, if they were homeless in the two years prior to enrollment. Additionally, it requires institutions to develop housing plans prioritizing homeless and foster youth for housing placement and ensuring access to facilities open year-round. This law directly affects vulnerable students aged under 25 who are homeless or in foster care, aiming to reduce barriers to higher education access.

This bill modifies Missouri county sales tax rules to allow local governments to fund early childhood education services. It requires counties seeking to impose an additional sales tax (up to 1.5% after 2025 for qualifying counties) to first obtain voter approval via a specific ballot measure. Revenue collected from such taxes must be deposited exclusively into the early childhood education fund, as defined in Section 67.5420. The bill also sets population-based rate limits and prohibits using these taxes for other purposes like zoological facilities or sports stadiums.

SB 1193 prohibits Missouri state departments from using state funds for any programs, staffing, or initiatives related to "diversity, equity, and inclusion" or similar terms that promote differential treatment based on race, gender, religion, or other protected characteristics. It specifically bans activities like claiming disparities result solely from oppression, implementing race-based hiring, or requiring private companies to adopt such programs for state contracts. Exemptions include compliance with court orders (approved by the attorney general) and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The bill aims to restrict funding for initiatives deemed to advance "diversity" programs, while allowing standard antidiscrimination compliance. This is a procedural spending restriction, not a substantive policy change.

SB 1155 - This act creates the "Missouri Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act". Under this act, a public institution of higher education shall adopt a policy that specifies the types of documentation the institution shall accept to determine a student's eligibility for disability accommodations. The act lists the types of documentation that shall be accepted, including documentation related to Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans developed under federal law, provided that any IEP or 504 plan documentation shall represent an ongoing need for disability accommodations that has not ended. An institution may set simpler criteria than those specified in the act to determine whether a student qualifies as an individual with a disability. The policy shall clearly outline the process for determining eligibility for disability accommodations. This information shall be shared with students, parents, and faculty in accessible formats and made available on the institution's website. OLIVIA SHANNON

SB 966 - This act requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to ensure that every public school and public charter school located in St. Louis City or St. Louis County conducts an annual safety assessment of such public school or public charter school. The Department of Public Safety (DPS), local law enforcement, and local emergency services shall provide reasonable assistance to public schools and public charter schools in order to implement the provisions of the act. The safety assessments shall include a consideration of each school's vulnerabilities to school shootings and intruders, with specific reference to the implementation of various safety procedures, policies, and tools specified in the act. Each public school and public charter school that conducts an annual safety assessment pursuant to the provisions of the act shall provide a report of the findings of the safety assessment to DESE. Based upon the findings of the safety assessments, DESE, in conjunction with DPS, shall provide to each public school and public charter school an annual report that summarizes such school's safety vulnerabilities, along with recommendations for mitigating such vulnerabilities. Such report shall also be provided to the General Assembly. A report created pursuant to the provisions of this act shall not be considered a public record under the Sunshine Law and shall not be available for public inspection. This act shall become effective July 1, 2028. This act is identical to SB 42 (2025) and similar to SCS/SB 1153 (2024) and HB 2398 (2024). OLIVIA SHANNON

HB 20 is a funding bill that allocates $3,026,580 from Missouri's Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and other state funds to support specific state government operations for fiscal year 2025-2026. It directly affects state departments by providing money for higher education grants (with a 50% local match requirement), technology upgrades for job centers, port authority grants, streetcar planning, and facility construction projects like HVAC systems and a new state office building. Key provisions include $10.9 million for port authority grants and $35.2 million for multimodal port infrastructure in major cities, all funded through designated state accounts. The bill does not create new policies but specifies how existing funds will be distributed to state agencies and programs.

HB 2723 replaces Missouri's existing charter school regulations with new requirements. It directly affects charter school applicants, sponsors, and school boards by mandating detailed application proposals covering mission statements, financial plans for three years, academic performance standards (including test scores and graduation rates), curriculum, admission policies, and grievance procedures. Key provisions require charter schools to include legally binding performance contracts with sponsors, meet health/safety standards before opening, and outline student discipline and transition plans if closing. The bill focuses on increasing accountability and transparency in charter school operations under Missouri law.

HB 2018 is Missouri's 2026-2027 state budget bill allocating funds for facility maintenance and repairs across state agencies. It directly affects public schools (including the Missouri School for the Blind), state parks, natural resource facilities, veterans' homes, and other state buildings by providing $19.2 million for school maintenance, $142.4 million for facilities management, and $96.3 million for state parks. The bill transfers existing funds from reserves like the Facilities Maintenance Reserve Fund and General Revenue to cover repairs, emergency work, and improvements without creating new programs or taxes. All funding adheres to constitutional spending limits and is designated for specific maintenance purposes only.

HB 3 appropriates $6.58 million from the General Revenue Fund for the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development to cover operational expenses, grant administration, and scholarship programs for public and private higher education institutions during fiscal year 2025-2026. It also allocates a separate $1 million "one-time" fund from General Revenue for a statewide campaign targeting adults without college credentials, plus $74,245 for regulating proprietary schools and $153,797 for closing proprietary schools. All funds must be spent within constitutional limits and specific purposes outlined in the bill, with no additional funding beyond the designated fiscal year.

HB 2909 requires public schools to include specific human sexuality and development instruction for students, directly affecting K-12 students in the state. The bill mandates medically accurate lessons covering abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception effectiveness, emotional consequences of teen sex, conflict management, and online safety. Crucially, it requires schools to show two specific videos during instruction: a fetal development ultrasound and the "Meet Baby Olivia" video depicting human gestation. Parents must be notified of the curriculum content and can opt their child out of any portion of the instruction. The bill also prohibits school personnel from providing abortion-related materials or services.