2011 Key Education Legislation
All bills below will be effective August 28, 2011, unless otherwise noted.
Please note that the links below are links to the Missouri General Assembly's website; by clicking these links you will leave the DESE website.
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HB111 – Judicial Procedures
Amends the definition of the crime of sexual contact with a student to include sexual contact both on and off school property, and to include sexual contact by an elected or appointed official of the public school district. Finally, the bill clarifies that the definition applies to a volunteer of the school or of an organization working with the school on a project or program who is not a student at the public school. Emergency Clause.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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HB136 – Temporary Courtesy Licenses
Requires that any state agency or board that regulates an occupation or profession must establish criteria for the issuance of a temporary courtesy license to a nonresident spouse of an active duty member of the military who is stationed in Missouri allowing him or her to lawfully practice his or her occupation or profession in this state.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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HB223 – Advanced Placement Incentive Grant
Authorizes, in part, the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant within the Department of Higher Education (DHE) for students eligible for the A+ Schools Program and the Access Missouri Program, and who receive two grades of three or higher on advanced placement (AP) examinations in the fields of mathematics or science while attending a Missouri public high school.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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HB229 – School Retirement
Amends the state laws governing the Public School Retirement System of the School District of Kansas City, Missouri, (KCPSRS) to 1) clarify compliance with the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 relating to the qualified retirement plans, 2) place a limit on the amount retirees may earn and continue to receive retirement benefits, and 3) make other technical changes to the KCPSRS retirement law.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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HB300 – Interscholastic Youth Sports Brain Injury Prevention Act
The purpose of this act is to establish standards for the safety and protection against long-term injuries to youth athletes. This act requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to work with the Missouri School Boards Association, Missouri State High School Athletics Association, and support services organizations for brain injuries to establish guidelines to educate coaches, student athletes and their parents on the risk of concussion and brain injury.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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HB344 – Farm-to-Table Advisory Board
Establishes the Farm-to-Table Advisory Board. The advisory board will be comprised of representatives from the University of Missouri-Extension Service; the departments of Agriculture, Elementary and Secondary Education, Economic Development, and Corrections; and the Office of Administration. The board will make recommendations by August 31, 2012, on strategies to allow schools and state institutions to more easily incorporate locally grown agriculture products into their cafeteria offerings, salad bars, and vending machines.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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HB506 – Property Tax Levies
Authorizes any political subdivision that approved a tax increase after August 27, 2008, to levy a rate to collect substantially the same amount of tax revenue as would have been collected by applying the voter-approved increased tax rate ceiling to the total assessed valuation of the political subdivision on or before the election date, increased by the percentage increase in the federal Consumer Price Index.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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HB555 – Issues Relating to Disabilities
HB555 is an omnibus bill relating to disability issues which, in part, designates October as Disability Awareness month. Section 162.946 allows school districts to provide disability history and awareness instruction during the month of October each year. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education may identify and adopt preliminary guidelines for regarding the development of a curriculum relating to disability history and awareness. Institutions of higher education are also encouraged to provide education, understanding, and awareness of individuals with disabilities.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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HB795 – School Read-In Day
Designates the second Friday of March as “Missouri School Read-In Day” to promote an increased awareness of the importance and benefits of reading. It is recommended that the day be appropriately observed through activities that will bring about an increased awareness of the importance and benefits of reading and encourage greater emphasis on reading, both in the school and in the home.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
- SB1 - Modifies Provisions of Amy Hestir Student Protection Act (adopted during the 2011 Extraordinary Session)
Modifies the provisions of the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act by repealing express restrictions on teacher use of work-related internet sites and nonwork-related internet sites. This bill mandates local boards of education to adopt policies relating to this issue.
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SB54 – Amy Hestir Student Protection Act (Section by Section Summary)
Creates the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act intended to prevent sexual abuse of children in schools through comprehensive background checks, staff training, reforms on conduct disclosure and more aggressive disciplinary action. This bill also contains Erin’s Law which creates the Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children to study the issue of sexual abuse of children, and to adopt needed reforms.
Status: Approved by the Governor. -
SB81 – School Fine Arts (Section by Section Summary)
This bill authorizes regional professional development centers to provide training and support for fine arts instruction, exempts a presenter making a presentation for professional or technical education purposes from the nonresident entertainer taxes, changes the law relating to unrestricted fund transfers from the capital projects fund to the incidental fund, and repeals statute 163.037 relating to funding for summer school. Emergency Clause.
Status: Approved by the Governor.
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SB180 – Walk & Bike to School Day
Designates the month of October as “Walk & Bike to School Month,” and the first Wednesday of October shall be designated as “Walk & Bike to School Day,” to improve the safety of students walking and bicycling to school, encourage more children to safely walk and bicycle to school, and promote the benefits of walking and cycling to school, including physical activity and better student health and physical fitness, improved academics, reduced congestion and pollution, and more livable communities.
Status: Approved by the Governor.