Legislative Update April 14, 2025

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." Matthew 26:28-29

*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 alerted you about an amendment that was offered to a non-homeschool related bill in the Senate that would have provided tax credits for homeschool families in Missouri. We asked—-and you responded! After a filibuster, that bill has been “laid over” or put on hold for now. The amendment was not approved or rejected as of yet. We are watching to see if SB190 is taken up again on the Senate floor, and will keep you posted when we know more.

MHA continues to watch the combined SB195/53 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 still 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 has been passed out of the Emerging Issues committee. This bill is called the “Missouri Parental Choice Tax Credit Act”.  It originally sought to establish a refundable tax credit for homeschooling, but after discussion with the bill sponsor, all references to homeschool in the bill have been removed, and replaced with FPE schools, protecting homeschool autonomy and privacy. MHA remains OPPOSED to tax credits for homeschooling. 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. We appreciate Representative Loy's willingness to hear our concerns about placing homeschoolers under government control via tax credits. HB77 is now awaiting assignment to a second House committee.

HB31, sponsored by Representative Bishop Davidson has been passed through two House committees and has been placed on the House informal calendar for perfection, where it will be heard, debated, and voted upon by the entire House of Representatives. 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.

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. 

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.

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.