Legislative Update, February 21, 2025
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6
*Members of the Missouri Homeschool Alliance Board of Directors are not lawyers. This update is for information purposes only.
It has been a busy week.
In committee:
As we told you in our last post, this week there was a Senate Education Committee hearing regarding two separate bills that propose a tax credit for homeschooling. We detailed in that post our reasons for opposing SB53 and SB195. MHA is OPPOSED to tax credits for homeschooling, and we are also OPPOSED to these two bills because they conflate the definition of Homeschool (RSMo 167.012) and FPE School (RSMo 167.013), and fail to recognize the statutory separation that was created last year to protect homeschool autonomy and privacy.
Unfortunately, due to the winter snowstorm, we were unable to be present for the hearing on Tuesday morning. The members of the committee did hear testimony from one homeschool lobbyist from another organization, but they unfortunately appeared to dismiss our very real concerns regarding these bills. It is therefore important that the members of the committee hear from you. These two bills will be addressed in executive session and most likely voted on by the committee on Tuesday morning, so time is of the essence.
MHA consulted with HSLDA regarding the tax credit bills, and HSLDA issued an alert this week asking for action, as well.
At this time, MHA is asking our members to take action related to SB53 and SB195.
If you agree with MHA’s stance against tax credits and funding for homeschooling, please consider taking the following actions immediately:
1. Contact the members of the Senate Education Committee. You may contact via email or telephone. Please be concise , kind, and firm in expressing your opposition for any sort of government funding for homeschooling. Ask that homeschool under the designation of RSMo 167.012 be removed from this legislation. Request that families who wish to participate in this tax credit be designated instead as FPE schools, under RSMo 167.013. The FPE designation was created last year for just this purpose; to provide statutory separation between traditional homeschoolers and those who seek to obtain government funding for their home-based or private school education choices.
2. Share this information within your own circle of influence. These two bills are potentially quite dangerous as they would infringe upon the privacy and autonomy of homeschool families in the state. Time is of the essence, as we expect the Education Committee to vote on these two bills within the next week.
3. Pray. While yesterday’s hearing was discouraging, we at Missouri Homeschool Alliance believe that it is God’s heart for families to be engaged in actively teaching, discipling, and nurturing their children, free from government interference. Pray that our message will find favor with legislators, and they will turn from their intentions as they gain understanding of the desire of homeschoolers in this state to protect the privacy and autonomy of the individual family.
4. Use the link at the bottom of this page to sign up for our weekly email legislative updates, so you will be kept informed about what is happening in Jefferson City, and how you might be able to get involved.
Also in Committee:
SJR6 is a proposed Constitutional amendment carried by Senator Rick Brattin was also heard this week in committee, and is headed for executive session on Tuesday morning where it will be voted on by the committee. This amendment, if passed, would amend the State Constitution to assert the right of parents to participate in and direct the education of their children free from government interference. At this point, MHA is opposed to the provision enumerated in the language related to a parent receiving funding from the government, and therefore cannot lend our support to this bill.
SB24, sponsored by Senator Rick Brattin has been referred to the Senate Education Committee. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. SB24 requires MO Scholars recipients to be funded by the state if the MO Scholars program isn't fully funded by donations. It requires school districts to reimburse the Educational Assistance Organization who distributes funds for the difference. This is now definitely state money funding the ESA. MHA is OPPOSED to expansion of the MoScholars program.
HB1082, sponsored by Representative Ben Baker has been referred to the House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. This bill seeks to amend our homeschool statute RsMO 167.012 and says that we cannot be background checked as a condition to receiving funds. This same wording is included in his amendment of the FPE Schools statute, RsMO 167.013. We are still seeking clarification regarding this bill and the intentions therein. Homeschool families are not able to participate in the state’s ESA program. Homeschool is not FPE school, and this again appears to blur the lines between the two. MHA is seeking more information on this bill, so stay tuned.
Headed to the Floor:
Another bill that may be of interest to homeschoolers is SB63, which has been passed out of committee and placed on the calendar for the full Senate. It may be heard on the Senate floor as early as Monday. SB63, sponsored by Senator Ben Brown seeks to establish provisions related to participation of certain students in non-traditional educational settings—in other words, it would allow homeschooled students and virtual public school students to participate in events and activities offered by the public school district in which they live without needing to enroll in public school. This bill seeks to make requirements for participation in public school activities fair across the state. Understand that if your student chooses to participate in sports or activities in the public school, you will be subject to whatever requirements the district places upon their enrolled students. This bill also seeks to remove from statute the optional declaration of enrollment for homeschoolers. MHA is NEUTRAL this bill. While we do support the removal of the declaration of enrollment, we remain neutral overall towards this bill as it does not seek to reduce homeschool freedoms. We encourage you to investigate the issue of public school participation and contact your legislator in the Senate if this issue is important to your family.
Watching:
The following bills haven't gone to committee yet, but we're watching them. As these bills have not yet been assigned to a committee, no call to action is being given, however if you feel strongly about any of the bills after reading them, feel free to contact the bill sponsor and politely express your thoughts or concerns.
HB1015, sponsored by Representative Melissa Douglas has had 2nd reading on the floor, but has not yet moved forward to a committee. This bill seeks to modify the compulsory age to 5, but exempts homeschool and FPE school. There is some question about the language in this bill as it appears to not allow a child to be unenrolled/excused from attendance at parent's request. We have questions about how this may require students to homeschool starting at age 5, if that is the district's compulsory age of attendance. MHA is OPPOSED to changes in the compulsory age. .
HB77, sponsored by Representative Cathy Jo Loy has also had a 2nd read on the floor but is not yet assigned to committee. This bill is called the “Missouri Parental Choice Tax Credit Act”. It seeks to establish a refundable tax credit, but it appears that public schooled and FPE students are excluded. As it reads this appears to primarily target only homeschoolers? This is backdoor registration and we are watching it closely. This bill is significantly similar to SB53 and SB195. MHA is OPPOSED to tax credits for homeschooling.
Thank you.
We at Missouri Homeschool Alliance thank you for your interest in following homeschool legislation in Jefferson City. We are so proud of our homeschool moms and dads who have taken the time to contact our legislators this week. Your efforts to hold our government accountable to the people, and your ability to express yourselves intelligently and with dignity most definitely makes a difference with our legislators. We appreciate each and every one of you.
If you believe in the mission of Missouri Homeschool Alliance and wish to support our work in the State Capitol, please consider joining us as a paid member. Your dues of just $5/month help to ensure that we are able to continue our fight to secure parent-led, privately funded homeschooling remains strong in Missouri.
