By Otto Fajen
MNEA Legislative Director
CAPITOL ACTION DAYS
Capitol Action Days are part of the Association's plan to promote positive policy for public education. MNEA's Capitol Action Days occur regularly on Wednesdays during legislative session and continued this week on April 16. For more information and to register for your Capitol Action Day, please visit https://www.mnea.org/CAD
LEGISLATURE TAKES EASTER HOLIDAY BREAK
The House and Senate adjourned on April 17, and both chambers will take an extended holiday weekend and reconvene at 4 p.m. on April 22.
BUDGET
The Senate Appropriations Committee worked through its revisions for the remainder of the state operating budget bills (HBs 10 to 13) on April 16. The committee voted to approve the SCS versions including all the changes approved by the committee. The Senate will debate the SCS versions of the bills within the next two weeks. The conference with the House and final action on all operating budget bills must be completed within the next three weeks and no later than 6 pm on May 9.
HB 2 is the K-12 education budget bill. The Senate committee version fully funds the school aid formula based on the DESE recommendation of an increase of $497 million. The Senate committee version of HB 12 also removes the Governor's proposed $50 million general revenue (GR) appropriation to the State Treasurer for the state's tax credit voucher. The Association supports the Senate committee change to fully fund the formula and to remove the GR expenditures to the state's tax credit voucher program.
OPEN ENROLLMENT BILL
The Senate Education Committee approved an SCS version of HCS/HB 711 (Brad Pollitt) on April 17. The bill would create a public-school open enrollment program. The Association believes that public school choice plans with state funding may harm students and our public schools unless essential criteria are in place for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating their effectiveness. The Association opposes HB 711 based on this concern. The SCS version raises additional concerns by removing transportation support for low-income students and allowing open enrollment to charter schools.
MINIMUM WAGE AND SICK LEAVE
The Senate is engaged in protracted debate on HCS/HBs 567, 546, 758 & 958 (Sherri Gallick) on April 16 but did not bring the bill to a vote. The bill would repeal provisions approved last year by voters to increase the state's minimum wage and guarantee paid sick leave. The bill blocks future increases to the minimum wage and repeals the sick leave provisions. The Association opposes the bill.
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
In addition to the open enrollment bill, the committee approved three other bills on April 17:
SB 326 (Ben Brown) to prohibit public institutions of higher education and proprietary schools from requiring the submission of diversity, equity, and inclusion statements from students or staff.
SB 364 (Ben Brown) to clarify that school districts will still qualify for the 1% increase in state aid for a school calendar of at least 169 school days, even if the school is in session fewer days due to inclement weather or another allowed reduction. The Association supports the bill.
SB 460 (Kurtis Gregory) to revise provisions relating to background checks for school bus drivers.
HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
The committee heard two bills on April 16:
HB 1273 (Jeff Knight) to prevent public schools in Missouri from being a member of or providing dues to any statewide activities association, including MSHSAA, that allows post-season or tournament-style athletic competition between public and private schools.
HB 1146 (Doyle Justus) to require public library boards and school boards to have a policy governing the reconsideration of materials in a public library or public school library.
The committee also approved the following bills:
HCS/HB 1365 (Marty Jacobs) would establish due process and evaluation requirements for principals. The Association supports the bill.
HCS/HB 1413 (Ann Kelley) would remove the sunset for the law requiring the Governor to appoint an active classroom teacher as a non-voting member of the State Board of Education. The Association supports the bill.
SCS/SBs 49 & 118 (Rusty Black) to allow school districts to employ or accept school chaplains as volunteers.
HCS/SS/SB 63 (Ben Brown) on April 2. The bill would allow home school students to participate in activities sanctioned by statewide activity organizations, such as MSHSAA. The HCS makes wording changes on activities participation and adds HB 1386 (Ben Keathley) pertaining to recovery high schools.
HOUSE HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
The committee approved an HCS version of SS/SB 150 (Jill Carter) on April 14. The Senate version of the bill would create a Career Tech certificate program to allow A+ eligible students to use A+ funds for certificate programs such as EMT, CDL, and LPN certificates that are not currently A+ eligible. The Association supports the Senate version of the bill.
The HCS adds:
HB 946 (Melanie Stinnett) relating licensure reciprocity waivers for spouses of Missouri law enforcement officers.
HB 265 (Brenda Shields) to increase awards for eligible recipients of the Access Missouri scholarship program. The Association supports HB 265.
HB 183 (Cameron Parker) to expand public higher education core curriculum transfer provisions from forty-two credit hours to sixty credit hours for certain degree programs.
HB 168 (Donnie Brown) relating to STEM grants.
HB 1017 (Chris Brown) to require in-state public educational institutions to grant undergraduate course credit for students who score four or higher on international baccalaureate examinations.
The committee also adopted an amendment to add revised language to remove certain restrictions regarding the conferring of doctoral, professional, and certain other degrees by Missouri State University.
HOUSE EMERGING ISSUES
The committee approved several bills on April 14, including:
HCS/SS/SB 160 (Brad Hudson) to prevent a public college from denying official recognition to belief-based student associations that require leaders to adhere to their beliefs, practice requirements or standards of conduct. The HCS adds the following provisions: 1) HB 937 (George Hruza) pertaining to policies on antisemitism, 2) HB 284 (Raychel Proudie) regarding discrimination based on hairstyles, 3) HB 183 (Cameron Parker) to expand public higher education core curriculum transfer provisions from forty-two credit hours to sixty credit hours for certain degree programs, 4) language to create civil immunity for private schools for designation of single-sex facilities, and 5) language to remove certain restrictions regarding the conferring of doctoral, professional, and certain other degrees by Missouri State University.
HCS/SS/SCS/SB 71 (David Gregory) to create a program to provide free college tuition for certain first responders and their legal dependents. The SCS specifies that the free college tuition will be available if funds are appropriated for reimbursing the costs of the institutions. The HCS adds many other provisions pertaining to law enforcement officer pay, law enforcement officer retirement systems, crimes, criminal background checks, and veteran preference for contracting.