By Otto Fajen
MNEA Legislative Director
CAPITOL ACTION DAYS BEGIN!
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 began this week on February 5th! For more information and to register for your Capitol Action Day, please visit https://www.mnea.org/CAD
OPEN ENROLLMENT
The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee approved HB 711 (Brad Pollitt) on February 5. 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 Senate Education Committee heard SB 70 (David Gregory) and SB 215 (Curtis Trent) on February 6. These bills would also create a public-school open enrollment system. The Association opposes both bills. SB 70 is similar in structure to HB 711 but also allows open enrollment to charter schools without making any of the necessary reforms to the charter school law. SB 215, in contrast, turns the existing transfer law regarding unaccredited school districts into a statewide, mandatory, open enrollment scheme that includes charter schools. SB 215 also will require the state to pay the equivalent of both state and local per pupil funding amounts to any charter school receiving nonresident students under the program.
HONESTY IN EDUCATION
The Senate Education Committee will hear two bills on February 11 that could affect students' freedom to learn. SB 56 (Mary Elizabeth Coleman) pertains to honesty in education, while SB 115 (Rick Brattin) pertains to both honesty in education and parent access to school information. The Association has concerns that both bills would adversely affect the freedom of teachers to provide the honest education our students deserve and could interfere with existing policies respecting student and school privacy. The Association opposes both bills.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
The committee heard the following bills on February 4:
SB 49 (Rusty Black) and SB 118 (Mike Moon) would each authorize school districts and charter schools to employ or accept chaplains as volunteers.
SB 150 (Jill Carter) to establish the Career-Tech Certificate Program Fund to reimburse students' tuition, books, and fees to certain postsecondary training programs and programs of study.
SB 55 (Mary Elizabeth Coleman) to prohibit K-12 schools and higher education institution from being members of athletic organizations that allow students to use performance enhancing drugs.
SB 80 (Kurtis Gregory) regarding compensation of high school athletes.
SB 63 (Ben Brown) to allow home school students to participate in activities sanctioned by statewide activity organizations, such as MSHSAA.
SB 42 (Angela Mosley) to require DESE to make sure that safety assessments are conducted on all public schools located in St. Louis City or St. Louis County.
The committee will also hear the following bills on February 11, including:
SB 68 (Mike Henderson) to require local educational agencies to report school safety incidents to DESE.
SB 71 (David Gregory) to create a program to provide free college tuition for first responders and their legal dependents.
HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The committee heard the following bills on February 5:
HB 31 (Bishop Davidson) to revise certain paperwork requirements for home school students. The bill removes the requirement to provide a notice of enrollment to the county recorder of deeds and requires a prosecuting attorney to have probable cause of a violation to inspect home school education records.
HB 712 (Brad Pollitt) to make three changes for K-12 schools. The bill requires DESE to determine a student's grade-level equivalence on the MAP test, extends the option for PSRS retirees to work as a substitute teacher while receiving their PSRS pension, and removes the CPI adjustment to the minimum teachers salary enacted in SB 727.
HB 854 (Ed Lewis), HB 408 (Jamie Gragg), and HB 306 (Kathy Steinhoff) would each require public schools to maintain policies that restrict student cell phone use during instructional time, with limited exceptions.
The committee also approved HCS/HB 538 (Dane Diehl) on February 5. The bill would modify background check requirements for school bus drivers.
HOUSE PENSIONS COMMITTEE
The committee heard HB 577 (Barry Hovis) on February 6. The bill pertains to investments of public pension systems, including PSRS/PEERS, by requiring divestments of fund holdings in certain Chinese entities or products. The bill mirrors PSRS/PEERS operations and practice related to compliance with restricted investments. The bill requires compliance with various federal restricted investments lists. In its current form, the bill is consistent with the current practices of PSRS/PEERS and would not interfere with the operation of the system.
The committee also approved HB 657 (Bill Owen) on February 6. The bill would enact additional provisions regarding the investments of all Missouri public pension systems, including PSRS and PEERS, regarding proxy voting and their fiduciary investment priority.
The PSRS Board of Trustees has a fiduciary duty to invest for the benefit of the members of the system. The bill would prevent pension systems from considering environmental, social or governance factors in a manner that would override their fiduciary duties. The provisions of the bill are also consistent with the current practices of PSRS and PEERS and would not interfere with the operation of the Systems.
HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT SUPPORT
The House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development heard HB 331 (Ann Kelley) on February 5. The bill creates 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 bill.
HIGHER EDUCATION FREE SPEECH ISSUES
The Senate Education Committee will also hear SB 160 (Brad Hudson) on February 11. The bill would 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 Association believes that offering memberships on a nondiscriminatory basis strengthens organizations. The Association opposes the bill.
MINIMUM SALARY CPI CHANGES
The House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs heard HB 607 (Ed Lewis) on February 3. The bill as filed would postpone future CPI adjustments of minimum salary amounts established by SB 727 by two years and terminate the CPI adjustments after five years. The bill also requires districts to match the new teacher salary grant funds with funds received by the district from the Classroom Trust Fund. The sponsor indicated his intention to remove the delay for CPI adjustments from the bill.
INCOME TAX DEDUCTION FOR EDUCATOR EXPENSES
The Senate Committee on Economic and Workforce Development heard SB 12 (Lincoln Hough) on February 5. The bill would create a state income tax deduction for eligible expenses of educators and first responders up to a maximum of $500. The Association supports the bill. Sen. Hough also amended this language onto his SB 10 regarding changes to sunset dates, when that bill was debated later the same day. However, SB 10 was laid over on the informal calendar and not brought to a perfection vote.
INCOME TAX CUT
The House Special Committee on Tax Reform heard HB 100 (Bishop Davidson) on February 4. The bill lowers the state's top income tax rate from the current 4.7% to 4.0% in the next year and could eliminate the state income tax entirely over a period of many years. HB 100 is estimated to reduce state revenues by over $500 million within two fiscal years. This cut in state revenue will reduce state revenues at a time when the state is struggling to maintain full funding of the formula. The Association opposes the bill.
LIMITING LOCAL PROPERTY REVENUES
The House Ways and Means Committee heard HB 517 (Mark Matthiesen) on February 3. The bill would lower the cap on inflationary growth of local property revenues from five percent to three percent. This measure would reduce the amount of increase of residential property assessments during high inflationary years.
VOTER REGISTRATION PAPERWORK
The Senate Committee on Local Government, Elections, and Pensions heard SB 62 (Ben Brown) on February 3. The bill requires additional forms of identification for voter registration. Current law already requires proof of U.S citizenship to register to vote. The Association is concerned that additional, unnecessary, paperwork requirements will affect voter access and opposes the bill as filed. The sponsor noted his intention to clarify that the bill will only affect future voter registrations and to work to address the concerns presented in the hearing.
TRANSGENDER SPORTS PARTICIPATION
The House Emerging Issues heard three bills pertaining to transgender student sports participation: HB 36 (Hardy Billington), HB 113 (Brian Seitz) and HB 634 (Bennie Cook). The bills would permanently extend the four-year moratorium on transgender athletic participation in competitive girl's or women's events in public and private middle schools and high schools and public and private colleges. This law overrides MSHSAA and NCAA policies on transgender athletic participation that seek to balance fairness and inclusion for athletes. The Association believes that educators should continue to establish the policies and procedures that govern the activities of Missouri students who participate in school activities and opposes the bills.