Latest news with #MissouriGeneralAssembly
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
New Missouri Law Provides Free Tuition For Career, Technical Education
The Missouri General Assembly has passed a bill, recently signed into law by the governor, that will ... More pay eligible high school graduates' tuition for career and technical certificate programs. Missouri has passed a new law that authorizes the payment of tuition for high school graduates wanting to pursue career and technical education rather than attend college. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 150, a multi-component higher education bill that contains the new provision, on July 9. The bill establishing the "Career-Tech Certificate (CTC) Program" passed both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly with strong bipartisan support. The idea to cover career-certificate tuition along with required fees and the cost of books was modeled on Missouri's highly popular A+ Program, which pays for two years of public community college for students pursuing associate's degrees. 'This will increase (the workforce) astronomically,' said state Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar who filed the bill in the Missouri House of Representatives. 'And it's great for the kids who are in those career tech programs. It gives them another avenue to make themselves better.' The eligibility requirements follow those established for the A+ Program. To qualify, students must graduate high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, maintain a 95% or higher attendance rate, complete 50 hours of unpaid tutoring and demonstrate proficiency in the Algebra I end-of-course exam. According to the law, which was sponsored by Senator Jill Carter (R-Granby) in the Missouri Senate, the new tuition benefit becomes effective for the 2026-2027 school year. 'Currently a student who wants to obtain a certificate or license right out of high school… must pay for these out of pocket because the courses are too short to qualify for the A+ reimbursement program and are not Pell eligible,' Kelley said in a committee hearing on the bill in February. 'These students are typically ones who are not interested in going to a two-year or four-year school.' Eligible programs for the tuition benefit are those where the required length for completion does not exceed 60 credit hours or their equivalent and 'results in the award of a non-graduate-level certificate or other industry-recognized credential.' Examples of such certificate programs listed in the new law are: The bill also establishes a fund managed by the State Treasurer's Office to pay for the student grants. Funding would need to be appropriated annually by the Missouri General assembly, but the fund will also accept donations. The state has estimated that the new program will cost up to $2.1 million in Fiscal Year 2027 and $3.3 million the following year. The legislation had widespread support from groups such as the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Missouri National Education Association. Missouri Chamber of Commerce Manager of Governmental Affairs Cade Tremain said the bill would 'strengthen the public workforce, as well as strengthen the existing programs we already have.' Governor Kehoe had also expressed support for career and technical education in his January State of the State speech, in which he called for enhancements to Missouri's career and technical education programs.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MO State Rep. introduces bill to cut childhood poverty in half
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri State Representative, Ray Reed announced Monday a bill that seeks to cut childhood poverty in half for Missouri children. During a Missouri General Assembly special session, Reed introduced the 'Missouri Child Tax Credit' bill in hopes for the state to invest in Missouri's low-income and working-class families. Potential Royals move to Kansas sparks mixed reaction in Overland Park 'At a time when we're considering investing nearly a billion dollars to retain a football team, I believe we must also ask ourselves what kind of state we want to be. If we have the resources to build stadiums, we have the resources to build stronger futures for Missouri's kids,' Rep. Reed, said. The statement comes on the same day Jackson County legislators approved the 2025 Jackson County budget, which included investments in community needs such affordable housing and health equity, according to Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. The child tax credit seeks to provide direct payments to low-income families with children under the age of 18-years-old. Kansas City's Country Club Plaza struggles with closures and empty shops In a release form Reed's office, it states the bill is modeled after the 2021 Biden-Harris expansion that lifted more than three million children out of poverty nationwide. 'This bill isn't just about alleviating poverty—it's about unlocking potential,' Reed said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Looking ahead to Missouri special session, Show Me Sports Investment Act
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri General Assembly's special session reconvenes Monday, and it's the House side of the rotunda's turn in Jefferson City. The state Senate passed a trio of bills last week, one providing a plan to fund up to half of stadium projects for the Chiefs or Royals or Cardinals in St. Louis. The Missouri State House will consider the Show Me Sports Investment Act. The stadium funding bill sets the framework for the Royals and the Chiefs to pay back some of the costs for new and renovated venues. Construction bonds would be paid back using tax money generated at the stadiums and would cover up to 50% of the cost to build it. The teams would have to qualify to have access to that money. The stadiums would need to be built for football or baseball, have more than 30,000 seats, and cost at least half a billion dollars. On Sunday, Rudi Keller, the deputy editor of the Missouri Independent, discussed what could happen as the special session continues this week. Kansas City superheroes assemble behind local child battling cancer 'A member of the House budget Committee who will consider the spending bill on Tuesday said there is an assumption the House will pass this, and that's correct. I also talked to the Chair of the House Budget Committee earlier today, and it turns out he's not going to be demanding anything new. So as long as there aren't serious demands that endanger the bill from the House, much as the way demands from Senators resulted in a change to the call, I'm anticipating this will go relatively smoothly this week,' Keller said on 4 The People. The stadium funding bill does not have the words 'Royals' or 'Chiefs' in it, but a big reason for the calling of this special session was to find a way to keep both teams in the state and counter the plans of Kansas lawmakers. Nearly a year ago, the Kansas legislature approved a bill to utilize STAR bonds to cover stadium construction costs. The deadline for that bill is coming up at the end of June. 'If Kansas believes that we could really be in the conversation, you could see some limited extension,' said Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson. 'The way the law is written, it could be extended for up to a year. I don't see that happening.' You can watch the full conversation with Masterson and Keller here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
4 The People: What to expect next in Missouri special session
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri General Assembly's special session is halfway home. The Senate got a through after . Next up it's on to the House. Rudi Keller, deputy editor of the Missouri Independent, joins FOX4 to talk about how the session got to this point and what to expect in the next week. Meantime, no special session for Kansas lawmakers, who passed a STAR Bonds stadium package last year. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Senate President Ty Masterson joins FOX4 with his observations on the Missouri package from a Kansas perspective, and with a deadline looming on the STAR Bonds package, when the dust might settle for both states. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prop A repeal awaiting Governor's signature; how it impacts Missourians
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph residents are bracing for potential changes as Missouri moves towards repealing Proposition A. The Proposition, a voter-approved initiative, would have gradually increased the minimum wage and paid sick leave statewide. Passed by 58% of voters in November 2024, Proposition A promised to raise Missouri's minimum wage to $13.75 in 2025 and $15 in 2026, with future increases tied to inflation. It also required employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. However, House Bill 567, passed by the Missouri General Assembly on Wednesday, aims to eliminate the sick leave requirement and remove future wage adjustments after 2026. The bill is now awaiting Governor Mike Kehoe's signature. St. Joseph resident, Dakota Allen, said this move from the government doesn't give him much confidence in the current democracy, and that Missourians should stand up to any party that violates voter rights. It's just kind of one of those things that no matter who's in power when they're looking to abuse their power and overturn the will of the people, it's time for us to step up and make sure that they can never do it again," Allen said. Allen said if this repeal is signed by Governor Kehoe, it will be painful for businesses that are looking to attract employees to the state, especially those in higher professions. "We're going to see this all across the board, there's not going to be those guarantees that make our state appealing for employees, and it's just going to become more and more difficult," Allen said. Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Missouri said in an initial repeals conversation to the legislation in April of 2025, that the language in Proposition A was not made clear enough on the ballot. "When voters saw Prop A on the ballot, they were only given a small summary, but behind the summary was eight pages of statutes," Bernskoetter said. "It creates a one-size-fits-all for all businesses to follow and businesses should be able to tailor their workplace policies to meet the needs of their customers and employees." Opponents argue, combining minimum wage increases with paid sick leave mandates in a single ballot measure violates Missouri's constitutional requirement that initiatives address only one subject. In addition, claiming misleading ballot language, particularly regarding the fiscal impact and the scope of exemptions. Sparking backlash from Missourians everywhere, "SAVE OUR SAY rallies will be held across the state on Saturday, May 17, in St. Joseph, Farmington, Blue Springs, St. Louis and many other cities. If signed into law, the repeal will go into effect on August 28, 2025. Until then, businesses must comply with the sick leave requirements and wage timeline outlined in Proposition A.
