Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
                        HOUSE BILL NO. 3102
                               103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY


                                INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE VOSS.

     6710H.01I                                                                    JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk


                                                AN ACT
     To repeal sections 160.545, 174.160, 174.231, 174.251, and 178.636, RSMo, and to enact in
            lieu thereof five new sections relating to programs offered by public institutions of
            higher education.


     Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:

            Section A. Sections 160.545, 174.160, 174.231, 174.251, and 178.636, RSMo, are
 repealed and five new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 160.545,
 174.160, 174.231, 174.251, and 178.636, to read as follows:
            160.545. 1. There is hereby established within the department of elementary and
 secondary education the "A+ Schools Program" to be administered by the commissioner of
 education. The program shall consist of grant awards made to public secondary schools that
 demonstrate a commitment to ensure that:
        (1) All students be graduated from school;
        (2) All students complete a selection of high school studies that is challenging and for
 which there are identified learning expectations; and
        (3) All students:
        (a) Earn credits toward any type of college degree while in high school; or
        (b) Proceed from high school graduation to a college or university or postsecondary
 vocational or technical school or high-wage job with work place skill development
 opportunities.
        2. The state board of education shall promulgate rules and regulations for the
 approval of grants made under the program to schools that:


     EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
     intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
HB 3102                                              2

         (1) Establish measurable districtwide performance standards for the goals of the
 program outlined in subsection 1 of this section; and
         (2) Specify the knowledge, skills and competencies, in measurable terms, that
 students must demonstrate to successfully complete any individual course offered by the
 school, and any course of studies which will qualify a student for graduation from the school;
 and
         (3) Do not offer a general track of courses that, upon completion, can lead to a high
 school diploma; and
         (4) Require rigorous coursework with standards of competency in basic academic
 subjects for students pursuing vocational and technical education as prescribed by rule and
 regulation of the state board of education; and
         (5) Have a partnership plan developed in cooperation and with the advice of local
 business persons, labor leaders, parents, and representatives of college and postsecondary
 vocational and technical school representatives, with the plan then approved by the local
 board of education. The plan shall specify a mechanism to receive information on an annual
 basis from those who developed the plan in addition to senior citizens, community leaders,
 and teachers to update the plan in order to best meet the goals of the program as provided in
 subsection 1 of this section. Further, the plan shall detail the procedures used in the school to
 identify students that may drop out of school and the intervention services to be used to meet
 the needs of such students. The plan shall outline counseling and mentoring services
 provided to students who will enter the work force upon graduation from high school, address
 apprenticeship and intern programs, and shall contain procedures for the recruitment of
 volunteers from the community of the school to serve in schools receiving program grants.
         3. Any nonpublic school in this state may apply to the state board of education for
 certification that it meets the requirements of this section subject to the same criteria as public
 high schools. Every nonpublic school that applies and has met the requirements of this
 section shall have its students eligible for reimbursement of postsecondary education under
 subsection 8 of this section on an equal basis to students who graduate from public schools
 that meet the requirements of this section. Any nonpublic school that applies shall not be
 eligible for any grants under this section. Students of certified nonpublic schools shall be
 eligible for reimbursement of postsecondary education under subsection 8 of this section so
 long as they meet the other requirements of such subsection. For purposes of subdivision (5)
 of subsection 2 of this section, the nonpublic school shall be included in the partnership plan
 developed by the public school district in which the nonpublic school is located. For
 purposes of subdivision (1) of subsection 2 of this section, the nonpublic school shall
 establish measurable performance standards for the goals of the program for every school and
 grade level over which the nonpublic school maintains control.
HB 3102                                              3

          4. A school district may participate in the program irrespective of its accreditation
 classification by the state board of education, provided it meets all other requirements.
          5. By rule and regulation, the state board of education may determine a local school
 district variable fund match requirement in order for a school or schools in the district to
 receive a grant under the program. However, no school in any district shall receive a grant
 under the program unless the district designates a salaried employee to serve as the program
 coordinator, with the district assuming a minimum of one-half the cost of the salary and other
 benefits provided to the coordinator. Further, no school in any district shall receive a grant
 under the program unless the district makes available facilities and services for adult literacy
 training as specified by rule of the state board of education.
          6. For any school that meets the requirements for the approval of the grants
 authorized by this section and specified in subsection 2 of this section for three successive
 school years, by August first following the third such school year, the commissioner of
 education shall present a plan to the superintendent of the school district in which such school
 is located for the waiver of rules and regulations to promote flexibility in the operations of the
 school and to enhance and encourage efficiency in the delivery of instructional services in the
 school. The provisions of other law to the contrary notwithstanding, the plan presented to the
 superintendent shall provide a summary waiver, with no conditions, for the pupil testing
 requirements pursuant to section 160.257 in the school. Further, the provisions of other law
 to the contrary notwithstanding, the plan shall detail a means for the waiver of requirements
 otherwise imposed on the school related to the authority of the state board of education to
 classify school districts pursuant to subdivision (9) of section 161.092 and such other rules
 and regulations as determined by the commissioner of education, except such waivers shall be
 confined to the school and not other schools in the school district unless such other schools
 meet the requirements of this subsection. However, any waiver provided to any school as
 outlined in this subsection shall be void on June thirtieth of any school year in which the
 school fails to meet the requirements for the approval of the grants authorized by this section
 as specified in subsection 2 of this section.
          7. For any school year, grants authorized by subsections 1, 2, and 5 of this section
 shall be funded with the amount appropriated for this program, less those funds necessary to
 reimburse eligible students pursuant to subsection 8 of this section.
          8. The department of higher education and workforce development shall, by rule,
 establish a procedure for the reimbursement of the cost of tuition, books and fees to any
 public community college or vocational or technical school or within the limits established in
 subsection 10 of this section for any two-year private vocational or technical school or the
 limits established in subsection 11 of this section for any public university for any student:
 HB 3102                                             4

         (1) Who has attended a high school in the state for at least two years that meets the
 requirements of subsection 2 of this section and who has graduated from such a school;
 except that, students who are active duty military dependents, and students who are
 dependents of retired military who relocate to Missouri within one year of the date of the
 parent's retirement from active duty who meet all other requirements of this subsection and
 are attending a school that meets the requirements of subsection 2 of this section shall be
 exempt from the two-year attendance requirement of this subdivision; and
         (2) Who has made a good faith effort to first secure all available federal sources of
 funding that could be applied to the reimbursement described in this subsection; and
         (3) Who has earned a minimal grade average while in high school or through the
 semester immediately before taking the course for which reimbursement is sought as
 determined by rule of the department of higher education and workforce development, and
 other requirements for the reimbursement authorized by this subsection as determined by rule
 and regulation of the department; and
         (4) Who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
         9. The commissioner of education shall develop a procedure for evaluating the
 effectiveness of the program described in this section. Such evaluation shall be conducted
 annually with the results of the evaluation provided to the governor, speaker of the house, and
 president pro tempore of the senate.
         10. For a two-year private vocational or technical school to obtain reimbursements
 under subsection 8 of this section, the following requirements shall be satisfied:
         (1) Such two-year private vocational or technical school shall be a member of the
 North Central Association and be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission as of July
 1, 2008, and maintain such accreditation;
         (2) Such two-year private vocational or technical school shall be designated as a 501
 (c)(3) nonprofit organization under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;
         (3) No two-year private vocational or technical school shall receive tuition
 reimbursements in excess of the tuition rate charged by a public community college for
 course work offered by the private vocational or technical school within the service area of
 such college; and
         (4) The reimbursements provided to any two-year private vocational or technical
 school shall not violate the provisions of Article IX, Section 8, or Article I, Section 7, of the
 Missouri Constitution or the first amendment of the United States Constitution.
         11. For a public university to obtain reimbursements under subsection 8 of this
 section, the following requirements shall be satisfied:
         (1) Such public university shall be accredited by the Higher Learning
 Commission as of July 1, 2026, and maintain such accreditation;
 HB 3102                                             5

         (2) No public university shall receive tuition reimbursements in excess of the
 tuition rate charged by a public community college for coursework offered by the public
 university within the service area of such college; and
         (3) Such public university shall receive reimbursement for an eligible student
 only if the student is enrolled at the public university in a degree program related to a
 workforce shortage area. The Missouri economic research and information center shall
 designate areas that qualify as workforce shortage areas for purposes of this
 subdivision.
              174.160. 1. The board of regents of each state college and each state teachers college
 shall have power and authority to confer upon students, by diploma under the common seal,
 such degrees as are usually granted by such colleges, including associate degrees, and
 additional degrees only when authorized by the coordinating board for higher education in
 circumstances in which offering such degree would not unnecessarily duplicate an existing
 program, collaboration is not feasible or a viable means of meeting the needs of students and
 employers, and the institution has the academic and financial capacity to offer the program in
 a high-quality manner. In the case of nonresearch doctoral degrees in allied health
 professions, an institution may be authorized to offer such degree independently if offering it
 in collaboration with another institution would not increase the quality of the program or
 allow it to be delivered more efficiently. Such boards shall have the power and authority to
 confer degrees in engineering only in collaboration with the University of Missouri, provided
 that such collaborative agreements are approved by the governing board of each institution
 and that in these instances the University of Missouri will be the degree-granting institution.
 Should the University of Missouri decline to collaborate in the offering of such programs, one
 of these institutions may seek approval of the program through the coordinating board for
 higher education's comprehensive review process when doing so would not unnecessarily
 duplicate an existing program, collaboration is not feasible or a viable means of meeting the
 needs of students and employers, and the institution has the academic and financial capacity
 to offer the program in a high-quality manner.
         2. Notwithstanding sections 172.280 and 174.225 to the contrary, the board of
 governors of Missouri State University shall have the power and authority to grant doctor of
 philosophy degrees in disciplines other than engineering and to grant bachelor of science
 degrees in veterinary technology.
              174.231. 1. On and after August 28, 2005, the institution formerly known as
 Missouri Southern State College located in Joplin, Jasper County, shall be known as
 "Missouri Southern State University". Missouri Southern State University is hereby
 designated and shall hereafter be operated as a statewide institution of international or global
 education, health and life sciences, and immersive learning experiences. The Missouri
HB 3102                                            6

 Southern State University is hereby designated a moderately selective institution which shall
 provide associate degree programs [except as provided in subsection 2 of this section],
 baccalaureate degree programs, and graduate degree programs pursuant to subdivisions (1)
 and (3) of subsection 2 of section 173.005. The institution shall develop such academic
 support programs and public service activities it deems necessary and appropriate to establish
 international or global education as a distinctive theme of its mission.
          2. [As of July 1, 2008, Missouri Southern State University shall discontinue any and
 all associate degree programs unless the continuation of such associate degree programs is
 approved by the coordinating board for higher education pursuant to subdivision (1) of
 subsection 2 of section 173.005.
          3.] As of August 28, 2025, Missouri Southern State University shall have a statewide
 mission designation of international or global education, health and life sciences, and in
 immersive learning experiences.
              174.251. [1.] On and after August 28, 2005, the institution formerly known as
 Missouri Western State College at St. Joseph, Buchanan County, shall hereafter be known as
 the "Missouri Western State University". Missouri Western State University is hereby
 designated and shall hereafter be operated as a statewide institution of applied learning. The
 Missouri Western State University is hereby designated an open enrollment institution which
 shall provide associate degree programs [except as provided in subsection 2 of this section],
 baccalaureate degree programs, and graduate degree programs pursuant to subdivisions (1)
 and (3) of subsection 2 of section 173.005. The institution shall develop such academic
 support programs as it deems necessary and appropriate to an open enrollment institution with
 a statewide mission of applied learning.
          [2. As of July 1, 2010, Missouri Western State University shall discontinue any and
 all associate degree programs unless the continuation of such associate degree program is
 approved by the coordinating board for higher education pursuant to subdivision (1) of
 subsection 2 of section 173.005.]
              178.636. 1. State Technical College of Missouri shall be a special purpose institution
 that shall make available to students from all areas of the state exceptional educational
 opportunities through highly specialized and advanced technical education and training at the
 certificate and associate degree level in both emerging and traditional technologies with
 particular emphasis on technical and vocational programs not commonly offered by
 community colleges or area vocational technical schools. Primary consideration shall be
 placed on the industrial and technological manpower needs of the state. In addition, State
 Technical College of Missouri is authorized to assist the state in economic development
 initiatives and to facilitate the transfer of technology to Missouri business and industry
 directly through the graduation of technicians in advanced and emerging disciplines and
HB 3102                                            7

 through technical assistance provided to business and industry. State Technical College of
 Missouri is authorized to provide technical assistance to area vocational technical schools and
 community colleges through supplemental on-site instruction and distance learning as such
 area vocational technical schools and community colleges deem appropriate.
         2. Consistent with the mission statement provided in subsection 1 of this section,
 State Technical College of Missouri shall offer vocational and technical programs leading to
 the granting of certificates, diplomas, and [applied science] associate degrees, or a
 combination thereof. State Technical College of Missouri may offer [associate of arts or]
 baccalaureate degrees only when authorized by the coordinating board for higher education in
 circumstances where the level of education requir