Missouri 2025 2025 Regular Session

Missouri House Bill HB1324 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/17/2025

                    FIRSTREGULARSESSION
HOUSEBILLNO.1324
103RDGENERALASSEMBLY
INTRODUCEDBYREPRESENTATIVEFOGLE.
1487H.01I	JOSEPHENGLER,ChiefClerk
ANACT
Torepealsections166.700and166.720,RSMo,andtoenactinlieuthereoftwonewsections
relatingtoMissouriempowermentscholarshipaccounts.
BeitenactedbytheGeneralAssemblyofthestateofMissouri,asfollows:
SectionA.Sections166.700and166.720,RSMo,arerepealedandtwonewsections
2enactedinlieuthereof,tobeknownassections166.700and166.720,toreadasfollows:
166.700.Asusedinsections166.700to166.720,thefollowingtermsmean:
2 (1)"Curriculum",acompletecourseofstudyforaparticularcontentareaorgrade
3level,includinganysupplementalmaterials;
4 (2)"District",thesamemeaningasusedinsection160.011;
5 (3)"Educationalassistanceorganization",thesamemeaningasusedinsection
6135.712;
7 (4)"Illegalalien",anypersonwhoisnotlawfullypresentintheUnitedStatesorany
8personwhogainedillegalentryintotheUnitedStates;
9 (5)"Parent",thesamemeaningasusedinsection135.712;
10 (6)"Privateschool",aschoolthatisnotapartofthepublicschoolsystemofthestate
11ofMissouriandthatchargestuitionfortherenderingofelementaryorsecondaryeducational
12services;
13 (7)"Program",thesamemeaningasusedinsection135.712;
14 (8)"Qualifiedschool",anFPEschooloranyofthefollowingentitiesthatis
15incorporatedinMissouriandthatdoesnotdiscriminateonthebasisofrace,color,religion,
16sexualorientation,genderidentityorexpression,ornationalorigin:
17 (a)Acharterschoolasdefinedinsection160.400;
EXPLANATION—Matterenclosedinbold-facedbrackets[thus] intheabovebillisnotenactedandis
intendedtobeomittedfromthelaw.Matterinbold-facetypeintheabovebillisproposedlanguage. 18 (b)Aprivateschool;
19 (c)Apublicschoolasdefinedinsection160.011;or
20 (d)Apublicorprivatevirtualschool;
21 (9)"Qualifiedstudent",anyelementaryorsecondaryschoolstudentwhoisaresident
22ofthisstate,whoisnotanillegalalien,andwho:
23 (a)Hasanapproved"individualizededucation[plan] program" (IEP)developed
24underthefederalIndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationAct(IDEA),20U.S.C.Section1400
25etseq.,asamended;or
26 (b)Isamemberofahouseholdwhosetotalannualincomedoesnotexceedanamount
27equaltothreehundredpercentoftheincomestandardusedtoqualifyforfreeandreduced
28pricelunches,andthatmeetsatleastoneofthefollowingqualifications:
29 a.Attendedapublicschoolasafull-timestudentforatleastonesemesterduringthe
30previoustwelvemonths;
31 b.Isachildwhoiseligibletobeginkindergartenorfirstgradeundersections160.051
32to160.055;or
33 c.Isasiblingofaqualifiedstudentwhoreceivedascholarshipgrantintheprevious
34schoolyearandwillreceiveascholarshipgrantinthecurrentschoolyear.
166.720.1.Sections166.700to166.720shallnotbeconstruedtopermitany
2governmentalagencytoexercisecontrolorsupervisionoveranyqualifiedschoolinwhicha
3qualifiedstudentenrollsotherthanaqualifiedschoolthatisapublicschool.
4 2.Aqualifiedschool,otherthanaqualifiedschoolthatisapublicschool,thataccepts
5apaymentfromaparentundersections166.700to166.720shallnotbeconsideredanagent
6ofthestateorfederalgovernmentduetoitsacceptanceofthepayment.
7 3.[A]Anotherwisequalifiedschool[shallnotberequiredtoalterits]that
8subscribestoorfollowsanycreed,practices,admissionspolicy,orcurriculum[inorderto
9acceptstudentswhoseparentspaytuitionorfeesfromaMissouriempowermentscholarship
10account] thatdiscriminatesagainstanindividualbasedonsuchindividual'srace,color,
11religion,sexualorientation,genderidentityorexpression,ornationaloriginshallnotbe
12deemedtobeeligibletoparticipateasaqualifiedschool.
13 4.(1)AnyqualifiedstudentreceivingaMissouriempowermentscholarshipwho
14leavesapublicschoolorcharterschool,assuchtermsaredefinedinchapter160,inthe
15qualifiedstudent'sresidentschooldistricttoenrollinaqualifiedschoolthatisnotthe
16qualifiedstudent'sresidentschooldistrictshallcontinuetobecountedintheresidentpublic
17schoolorcharterschool'sweightedaveragedailyattendanceasaresidentstudentforthe
18purposesofdeterminingstateandfederalaidforthequalifiedstudent'sresidentschooldistrict
19orcharterschool.
20 (2)Thequalifiedstudentwillcontinuetobecountedforsuchpurposeasprovided:
HB1324	2 21 (a)Forfiveyearsafterthequalifiedstudentnolongerattendsschoolinthequalified
22student'sresidentschooldistrict;
23 (b)Untilanycalendaryearthatthequalifiedstudentnolongerreceivesgrantmoney
24intheirscholarshipaccount;
25 (c)Untilthequalifiedstudentiscountedintheweightedaveragedailyattendancefor
26apublicschoolorcharterthattheyarearesidentstudentin;or
27 (d)Untilthequalifiedstudentgraduates.
28 (3)Theeducationalassistanceorganizationandthestatetreasurershallprovidethe
29necessaryinformationtothedepartmentofelementaryandsecondaryeducationtoallowthe
30federalandstateaidtocontinuetothepublicschoolorcharterschoolinthequalified
31student'sresidentschooldistrictpreviouslyattendedbythequalifiedstudent.
32 (4)TheprovisionsofthissubsectionshallterminatefiveyearsafterAugust28,2021.
33 5.Inanylegalproceedingchallengingtheapplicationofsections166.700to166.720
34toaqualifiedschool,thestateshallbeartheburdenofestablishingthatthelawisnecessary
35anddoesnotimposeanyundueburdenonqualifiedschools.
36 6.Theprovisionsofsection23.253oftheMissourisunsetactshallnotapplyto
37sections166.700to166.720.
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HB1324	3