By Otto Fajen
MNEA Legislative Director
CAPITOL ACTION DAYS
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 continued this week on April 30. For more information and to register for your Capitol Action Day, please visit https://www.mnea.org/CAD
OPEN ENROLLMENT BILL STALLS IN THE SENATE
The Senate laid over SS/SCS/HCS/HB 711 (Brad Pollitt) on April 30 after about four hours of debate. Sen. Trent offered a floor substitute to make additional changes to open enrollment provisions and to add the language of fourteen other bills.
The Senate approved Sen. Lincoln Hough's amendment to prevent additional student transfers under the bill in any year when the legislature did not fully fund the formula, pupil transportation, and teacher salary grants in the prior year. The Association supports the amendment. The amendment was approved by a standing division vote of 14-13.
Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern then offered an amendment to remove pupil transfers to charter schools from the bill. The Association supports Sen. Nurrenbern's amendment. The bill was laid over with the amendment pending.
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 SS version raises additional concerns by removing transportation support for low-income students and allowing open enrollment to charter schools.
BUDGET
The House and Senate both sent the state operating budget bills (HBs 2 to 13) to conference. The conference will seek to resolve differences between House and Senate positions. The conference with the House and final action on all operating budget bills must be completed no later than 6 pm on May 9.
HB 2 is the K-12 education budget bill. The Senate-approved version of HB 2 fully funds the school aid formula based on the DESE recommendation of an increase of $497 million. The Senate-approved version of HB 12 also removes the Governor's proposed $50 million general revenue (GR) appropriation to the State Treasurer for the state's tax credit voucher. The Association supports the Senate changes to fully fund the formula and to remove the GR expenditures to the state's tax credit voucher program.
House and Senate budget conferees:
HB 2: Representatives Dirk Deaton, Bishop Davidson, Betsy Fogel, Darin Chappell, and Marlene Terry.
Senators Lincoln Hough, Rusty Black, Mike Henderson, Karla May, and Maggie Nurrenbern.
HB 12: Representatives Dirk Deaton, Bishop Davidson, Betsy Fogel, Darin Chappell, and Marlene Terry.
Senators Lincoln Hough, Rusty Black, Travis Fitzwater, Maggie Nurrenbern, and Barbara Washington.
HOME SCHOOL ACTIVITIES PARTICIPATION
The House approved HCS/SS/SB 63 (Ben Brown) on April 30. The Senate refused to concur and has asked for conference with the House. The bill would allow home school students to participate in activities sanctioned by statewide activity organizations, such as MSHSAA. The HCS makes wording changes on activities participation and adds HB 1386 (Ben Keathley) pertaining to recovery high schools.
CURRENT STATUS OF OMNIBUS EDUCATION BILLS
The House and Senate have both constructed omnibus versions of several K-12 education related bills and several higher education bills. While not identical, these bills are now hosts to broadly overlapping sets of either K-12 or higher education provisions.
The following is a list of omnibus K-12 education bills:
SCS/HCS/HB 607 (Ed Lewis) was approved in the Senate committee on April 29. The bill was reported to the floor on May 1 and is now on the Senate calendar.
SS/SCS/HCS/HB 711 (Brad Pollitt) has been debated in the Senate and is on the informal calendar. While originally pertaining only to public school open enrollment, the SCS and SS versions both contain many of the same provisions as the other K-12 omnibus bills.
HCS/SS/SCS/SB 68 (Mike Henderson) is now in conference, and a conference committee meeting may occur on May 4.
HCS/SS/SB 266 (Travis Fitzwater) was approved in the House committee on April 30. The bill was referred to the House Rules-Legislative Committee on May 1.
The following is a list of omnibus higher education bills:
SS/HB 419 (Don Mayhew) has passed the Senate and returned to the House. The bill has been referred to the House Fiscal Review Committee.
HCS/SB 150 (Jill Carter) has been approved by House committee and is on the House calendar.
HCS/SS/SB 160 (Brad Hudson) has been approved by House committee and is on the House calendar.
PSRS WAR SUBSTITUTE WAIVER FINALLY PASSED
The legislature has finally passed the language to extend the option for PSRS retirees to work as a substitute teacher while receiving their PSRS pension. The language extends this option until June 30, 2030. Originally filed as HB 1039 (Stephanie Boykin) and several other bills, this provision was Truly Agreed and Finally Passed (TAFP) in HCS/HBs 296 & 438 (Jim Kalberoh). The original bill pertains to school bus driver endorsements. The PSRS WAR waiver language was added as SA 2, offered by Sen. Rusty Black. The bill will now be prepared in final form and presented to Governor Kehoe for his approval.
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The committee heard two bills on April 29:
SB 693 (Karla May) to prohibit the establishment of new charter schools in St. Louis City beginning August 28, 2025.
HCS/HB 331 (Ann Kelley) to create 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.
In addition to the SCS on HCS/HB 607, the committee approved two other bills on April 29:
HCS/HBs 1363, 1062, & 1254 (George Hruza) to prohibit municipalities from creating or enforcing rules preventing school district property from being sold, leased, or transferred to a charter school.
SCS/HB 232 (Sherri Gallick) pertaining to school safety. The original HB 232 requires cardiac emergency response plans in public schools. The Association supports this portion of the bill. The SCS adds the provisions of SB 792 (Rick Brattin) pertaining to school protection officers. The House version also includes the provisions of HB 416 (Brenda Shields). HB 416 places various school safety requirements on school districts and charter schools. HB 416 addresses emergency operation plans, blood loss protocols, MSIP safety standards, physical standards for doors, transfer of behavior risk assessments of enrolling students, notifications from juvenile courts, agreements with law enforcement, CPR resuscitation training, and active shooter training. The House version also includes the language of HB 454 (Ian Mackie) to prohibit school districts from maintaining zero-tolerance discipline policies.