Legislative Update and Alert March 16, 2025
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
*Members of the Missouri Homeschool Alliance Board of Directors are not lawyers. This update is for information purposes only.
Your weekly dose of what-you-need-to-know in Jefferson City.
Alert:
In our last post, we told you that SB53 and SB195 had been heard in committee and combined into one new Senate Committee Substitute bill, now referred to as SCS/SB’s 195 & 53. This new substitute means that while there were originally two separate bills, they will now be treated as one piece of legislation moving forward. While there was some correction made to the bills by removing a highly inappropriate definition of “home school”, in reality, the bill as it is written now applies to all “non-public schools”, and therefore could still allow homeschoolers to receive tax credits. MHA continues to be OPPOSED to tax credits for homeschooling. We are especially opposed to the idea of a refundable tax credit, which would involve direct state-payment of government funds to homeschoolers. Creation of a tax credit, and the certification by the state that a family is not a participant in the public schools would, in effect, create a de facto form of registration for homeschool families who choose to participate. This flies in the face of the homeschool freedoms and privacy that we are afforded by our homeschool statute.
SCS/SB’s 195 & 53. was passed out of committee and at this time is awaiting assignment to the calendar to be heard and debated by the entire Senate on the floor, in a process known as “perfection”. We will keep you posted as soon as we hear that it has been placed on the calendar.
MHA and HSLDA have issued alerts regarding these bills, and their opposition to them. Please read more here here.
In Committee:
HB77, sponsored by Representative Cathy Jo Loy as of today, has been assigned to the Emerging Issues committee. This bill is called the “Missouri Parental Choice Tax Credit Act”. It seeks to establish a refundable tax credit for homeschooling, but after discussion with the bill sponsor, we have her assurance that she understands our concerns regarding backdoor registration via tax credits, and her intent is to remove all references to homeschool in the bill, and replace it with FPE schools, protecting homeschool autonomy and privacy. MHA remains OPPOSED to tax credits for homeschooling. This bill has been scheduled for public hearing on Monday, March 24 at 4:30pm. While we are not supporting this bill in its entirety, we are asking our members to consider submitting testimony online or making the trip to the Capitol to testify in person in support of the language change. This bill in its original form was significantly similar to SB’s 195 and 53, and this language change is what we were seeking to have added to those bills in the committee substitute. It is important that the legislators hear from traditional homeschoolers loud and clear that we are opposed to any government funding for homeschooling. It’s important that they understand our position here, as these bills will most likely be combined toward the end of the session.
At this time, MHA is asking our members to take action related to HB77.
If you agree with MHA’s stance against tax credits and funding for homeschooling, please consider taking the following actions immediately:
1. Contact your Senator regarding SCS/SB’s 195 & 53 as a constituent. Look up your Senator here. You may contact via email or telephone. Be concise , kind, and firm in expressing your opposition for any sort of government funding for homeschooling. Ask that they oppose these bills unless homeschool under the designation of RSMo 167.012 is specifically excluded from this legislation.
2. Contact the members of the House Emerging Issues Committee re: HB 77. Contact info can be found here. Again, 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.
3. 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.
4. Pray. While it may feel discouraging at times, we acknowledge that with God’s help, we can win the battle of ideas with freedom-loving legislators. 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. As the verse carved into the very walls of our State Capitol pictured above remind us, EVERYTHING in the Earth is the Lord’s, and we can ultimately trust Him in all things.
5. Consider testifying in person or in writing for the Emerging Issues Committee hearing on March 24, at 4:30pm.
6. 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:
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 and HSLDA are OPPOSED to expansion of the MoScholars program. HSLDA has addressed this further in their alert here.
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.
HB31, sponsored by Representative Bishop Davidson was heard in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee executive session this week. After MHA expressed our concerns with the original title the bill sponsor put forward a Committee Substitute (linked above). This substitute changed the title of the bill to address home-based education protections, to avoid the appearance of conflating “Homeschool” and “FPE School”. This bill seeks to accomplish two things: to remove the optional declaration of enrollment in our homeschool statute, and to require probable cause for the prosecuting attorney to open an investigation into a family who educates their children at home. Additional language was added in the substitute that specifies that upon withdrawal from public school, if a parent provides the school with written notification of their intent to withdraw and pursue other educational options under RSMo 167.031, the school shall comply and promptly remove the child from the public school rolls. This is a change we appreciate because the parent is not required to indicate their desire to homeschool, enroll in public school, or begin educating as an FPE student. This increases protection of homeschool privacy. The Committee Sub for HB31 was passed out of committee, and now awaits assignment to a second committee (required in the House) for further consideration. We will keep you posted when this bill is assigned and another public hearing is scheduled, in the case that you wish to testify .
Also headed to the Floor:
SJR6 is a proposed Constitutional amendment carried by Senator Rick Brattin was also heard this week in executive session and passed out of 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. This bill is now awaiting placement on the formal calendar to be heard and debated on the Senate floor for perfection.
Perfected, moving to the other chamber:
Another bill that may be of interest to homeschoolers is SB63, which was perfected on the Senate floor on February 24. It will now move to the House of Representatives, where it must start the process all over again. 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. We are watching this bill closely, as it moves through the process, to ensure that it remains clean, without affecting homeschool freedoms. At this point, it has not yet been assigned to a House committee.
Watching:
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.
Spring Break:
The Missouri Legislature is on Spring Break this coming week, so we anticipate a break in the action. This week would be a great time to check in with your Legislators while they are home in their district. Constituents can check with their legislators’ social media to see if they are holding a town hall or coffee shop meet up with their constituents. This is a great opportunity to get to know your legislators in a more informal setting, and to express your feelings and concerns with current legislation, and for your legislator to get to know an actual real-life homeschool family from their own district.
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.
