This bill (SB 1196) modifies grant provisions for specific workforce training programs, but the provided context lacks details on the exact changes or who is directly affected. The official abstract and recent actions (prefiled December 2025, first reading January 2026) do not specify key mechanisms, program eligibility, or affected groups. Without additional information on the proposed modifications, a substantive summary of policy changes cannot be provided. As a procedural bill with minimal detail in the context, a full summary cannot be generated.
HB 3235 modifies Missouri's education funding structure by replacing prior committee duties with a new scholarship program for public school students. It establishes eligibility criteria prioritizing students with disabilities (via IEPs), those qualifying for free/reduced lunch, military dependents, and others, with specific distribution order rules. Organizations administering scholarships must spend at least 90% of contributions on student accounts, limit administrative costs, and provide annual reports on test scores, graduation rates, and parent satisfaction. The bill also requires participating students to take state assessments and mandates transparency for state agencies tracking program outcomes.
HB 3439 modifies Missouri's Public Safety Recruitment and Retention Act to expand eligibility for free college tuition. It now includes volunteer firefighters (previously excluded) among public safety personnel who qualify, alongside police officers, paramedics, and EMTs. To qualify, applicants must have at least six years of service, meet specific licensing requirements, pursue approved fields like fire science or emergency management, and apply for other financial aid first. The program covers up to 100% of resident tuition for up to five years or 120 credit hours, with dependent benefits available for those with ten or more years of service.
HB 3461 modifies Missouri's program providing free public college tuition for public safety personnel. It expands eligibility to include police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, crime laboratory technicians, and telecommunicator first responders who have at least six years of service and hold current licenses/certificates for their roles. To qualify, applicants must pursue specific eligible fields (like criminal justice for police or fire science for firefighters), meet all college admission requirements, not already hold a bachelor's degree, and apply for other federal/state financial aid first. The benefit covers only tuition and mandatory fees (not room, board, or books) and lasts up to five years for eligible individuals or their legal dependents.
HB 3332 modifies Missouri's Public Safety Recruitment and Retention Act to provide tuition awards for eligible public safety personnel and their dependents. Public safety personnel with at least six years of service (police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, etc.) may receive up to 100% of resident tuition for degrees in specific fields like criminal justice or fire science, subject to meeting license, employment, and admission requirements. Legal dependents of personnel with ten or more years of service also qualify for tuition awards covering associate or bachelor's degrees. The program requires applicants to first seek other federal and state financial aid before applying for the tuition award, with eligibility lasting up to five years or 120 credit hours.
HB 3373 creates a dedicated liaison position within the state's Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development to support homeless students pursuing college. The bill establishes a dedicated fund to finance this role and requires the liaison to develop resources tracking homeless students' academic progress, connect them with campus support services (like housing and financial aid), and build databases of community resources like food banks. It directly affects homeless and unaccompanied youth enrolled in state colleges by improving access to tailored support systems. The liaison must collaborate with high schools and colleges to identify students and coordinate services, all funded through a non-reverting state fund.
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.
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 3091 creates a "Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program" through scholarships for students in environmental fields. It establishes a "Recruitment and Retention Scholarship Fund" to provide financial support to minority and underrepresented students (prioritizing groups identified by the National Academy of Sciences) pursuing degrees in environmental engineering, environmental sciences, environmental chemistry, or environmental law enforcement. The program is administered by the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development with funds from general revenue, federal sources, or private donations. The bill also creates an advisory committee to oversee scholarship selections and requires annual reporting on administrative entities (though this appears disconnected from the scholarship provisions in the provided text).
HB 3037 modifies Missouri's tax credit program for donations to scholarship organizations, allowing taxpayers to claim a 100% credit for contributions (up to 50% of their state tax liability) toward scholarships. The bill sets a $75 million annual cap on total credits, adjusted yearly based on state education funding changes, with unused credits carryable forward for up to four years. Donors cannot designate which student receives a scholarship, and the program activates only when transportation funding meets specific thresholds tied to 2021 levels. This affects taxpayers donating to educational assistance organizations seeking to fund student scholarships through state tax incentives.
