Missouri NEA Weekly Legislative Update Week 17

By Otto Fajen

MNEA Legislative Director

 

 

 

Capitol Action Days are part of the Association's plan to promote positive policy for public education. MNEA's Capitol Action Days concluded for the session on May 6. For more information and to register for your Capitol Action Day, please visit https://www.mnea.org/CAD

 

 

 

The House and Senate finally approved the bills for next year's state budget on May 6, two days ahead of the constitutional deadline. The bills will be prepared in final form and presented to the Governor. The Governor has line-item veto authority for budget bills, but the Constitution specifically prevents the Governor from using the line-item veto to reduce any appropriation for public schools.

 

The conference version of HB 2002 for K-12 education still underfunds the school funding formula by $190 million for next year. The conference version contains a compromise on funding sources. Concerns were raised after the conference regarding use of less reliable revenue sources, such as lottery funds, to fund the formula. HB 2002 narrowly passed the House by a vote of 83-68. Later in the day, the legislature also finally approved additional fund transfer language in the Senate version of HB 2020 in response to the concerns regarding those funding sources for the formula. The conference version also increases pupil transportation funding by $15 million.

 

The conference version of HB 2003 for higher education maintains institution core funding while requiring DHEWD to create and present an institutional funding model by the end of the year.

 

The conference version of HB 2012 for statewide officials continues to divert $60 million in general revenue to fund private schools through the state's tax credit voucher scheme. The Association opposes both the state's tax credit voucher program and the appropriation of general revenue to fund scholarships under this tax credit program.

 

 

 

The Senate included a revised version of the language of HB 3283 (Chris Brown) in the substitute for HB 1644 (Matthew Overcast) on May 5. For firefighters and other first responders, the bill creates a basic structure for public sector collective bargaining, including timelines for bargaining to commence, an expectation of good faith bargaining, and requirements for mediation and arbitration to resolve impasse. The substitute also allows police employees to form labor organizations under the current bargaining law. Teachers and other law enforcement remain excluded from bargaining under the current law but remain entitled to the right to bargain collectively under the Missouri Constitution and associated court decisions.

 

 

 

The House considered and adopted more than forty amendments to SB 1421 (Nick Schroer) which originally pertained to regulation of unmanned aircraft in certain areas. After House action, the bill pertains to public safety and includes several amendments relating to education topics: SB 905 (David Gregory) to create the Missouri Rangers, HB 2195 (Roger Reedy) pertaining to driving safety instruction, HB 2913 (Bill Irwin) to provide civil immunity for teachers who intervene in incidents involving violence, HB 2120 (John Black) to enact anti-bullying provisions for schools, and language pertaining to operation of school bus safety cameras.

 

 

 

House and Senate conferees have begun to discuss differences on property tax provisions in HCS/SS/SCS/SB 1066 (ben Brown). The property tax provisions are similar to the various property tax changes in the House perfected version of HCS#2/HB 2780 (Tim Taylor). A key provision in the bill requires reassessment rollback by property class. The House position on SB 1066 also includes various requirements pertaining to proposing and adopting tax levies and additional requirements on the assessment of property. The House version also requires school districts to reduce levies below $2.75 if required by reassessment rollback. The Association encourages to conferees to limit the property tax changes to those approved by the Senate in SS/SCS/SB 1410 (Sandy Crawford).

 

 

 

The House Children and Families Committee approved SS/SB 1002 (Adam Schnelting) on May 4. The original bill would move school board elections to the November general election and change all school board terms to four years. The substitute limits the bill to only school districts in St. Charles County. The Association opposes the bill.

 

Electing school board members at municipal election allows voters to focus on these local candidates and local school issues outside of the November election cycle when the time and attention of voters is taken up by partisan election campaigns and statewide issues.