Governor Kehoe Signs Education and Workforce Development Bills into Law

JULY 9, 2025

Jefferson City — Today, during a bill signing ceremony at the Missouri State Capitol, Governor Mike Kehoe signed eight bills into law: House Bills (HB) 296 and 419, and Senate Bills (SB) 49, 63, 68, 150, and 160, and Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 3.

"From implementing distraction-free classrooms to expanding school safety efforts, the legislation signed into law this afternoon impacts both K-12 students and Missourians pursuing higher and career technical education," said Governor Kehoe. "We are proud to join the General Assembly in supporting these wins for Missouri schools, students, and teachers."

HB 296, sponsored by Representative Jim Kalberloh and Senator Rusty Black, modifies provisions relating to school personnel.

  • Expands substitute teaching eligibility for retired teachers.
  • Requires background checks to be conducted on all personnel employed by charter schools, consistent with public school requirements.
  • Raises the age for driver's license renewal exams for school bus-endorsed drivers from 70 to 75 and adjusts the renewal requirements from annual to biennial.

HB 419, sponsored by Representative Don Mayhew and Senator Sandy Crawford, modifies several provisions relating to education.

  • Requires the Missouri State High School Activities Association to waive the minimum practice requirement for all students who are active-duty military, including active-duty Army National Guard and Army Reserve.
  • Establishes a separate custodial account with the State Treasurer to deposit the moneys from the University of Missouri's Seminary Fund to support agricultural programs at the University and general operations at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
  • Expands healthcare workforce recruitment by giving the Department of Health and Senior Services flexibility to approve more medical training programs for loan repayment

SB 49, sponsored by Senator Rusty Black and Representative Brad Banderman, authorizes school districts and charter schools to employ or accept chaplains as volunteers.

SB 63, sponsored by Senator Ben Brown and Representative Dirk Deaton, allows homeschool students to participate in school activities within their respective district, requires an intent to homeschool declaration, and exempts Family Paced Education from background clearance check requirements.

SB 68, sponsored by Senator Mike Henderson and Representative Bill Allen, creates, repeals, and modifies provisions relating to elementary and secondary education.

  • Directs all school districts and charter schools to implement a written policy, starting in the 2025-26 school year, banning the use or display of students’ electronic personal communication devices throughout the day – including during class, meals, breaks, and study hall.
  • Improves school safety measures including:
    • Requires cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.
    • Requires school districts and charter schools to adopt a comprehensive emergency operations plan covering school safety, emergency response, prevention, and recovery.
    • Directs districts to designate a primary and secondary school safety coordinator and defines the job duties, trainings, and expectations for this position.
    • Requires local educational agencies report all school safety incidents and credible threats to DESE. DESE will maintain a regularly updated database of these incidents and threats and share this data with DPS.
  • Expands the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Scholarship to cover educational costs related to teacher preparation.

SB 150, sponsored by Senator Jill Carter and Representative Ann Kelley, creates, repeals, and modifies provisions relating to workforce development initiatives.

  • Creates a temporary license that allows childcare providers currently licensed and in good standing to expand their current operations while the additional licensure requirements are being completed.
  • Raises the Access Missouri financial assistance award for students attending public two- and four-year institutions.
  • Expands the eligible use of the A+ Scholarship program to include career-technical education certificates offered outside traditional higher education settings, effective for the 2026-2027 school year.

SB 160, sponsored by Senator Brad Hudson and Representative Darin Chappell, establishes provisions relating to educational institutions.

  • Establishes the Missouri Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act to prevent discrimination based on a person’s hair texture or protective hairstyle if commonly associated with a particular race or origin in elementary and secondary educational institutions.
  • Prohibits higher education institutions from taking adverse action against a student group due to the group’s beliefs or of its leaders.
  • Establishes Danny’s Law, which provides limited immunity to individuals who participated in hazing when they contacted authorities, sought immediate medical attention, provided necessary information to authorities, and remained on scene to assist the victim until authorities arrived.
  • Authorizes Missouri State University to offer research PhDs degrees in disciplines other than engineering and Bachelors of Science in Veterinary Medicine.

SCR 3, sponsored by Senator Jill Carter and Representative Cathy Lo Joy, expands the mission of Missouri Southern State University from operating as a statewide institution of international or global education to also include health and life sciences and immersive learning experiences.

For more information on the legislation and additional provisions signed into law, visit house.mo.gov and senate.mo.gov. Photos from the bill signing will be uploaded to Governor Kehoe's Flickr page. Additional bill signings will continue to take place over the next several days. For more information on the bill signings, view Governor Kehoe's schedule.

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