Weekly Update

April 28, 2023

Map shows areas in Missouri where child care supply is extremely limited. Areas in red and orange are considered "child care deserts". SOURCE: Disappearing Daycare Report published by the Missouri Independent on April 26, 2023

Investigation reveals depth of child care crisis

This week, the Missouri Independent published findings from an investigation conducted with MuckRac k showing that more than 200,000 Missouri children ages five and under live in a child care desert. In their collaboration titled "Disappearing Daycare," they chronicle the struggle families face in the search for quality child care and how often the solution requires a piecemeal approach where many parents either stagger their work schedules to share child care responsibilities or enlist the help of family members to cover gaps.

The Missouri Independent reports that for parents who can find an open slot, "they have to shoulder an expense that can rival t he cost of a mortgage or in-state college tuition — often at the point in their careers when they are making the least."

Child care centers often operate on razor-thin margins and regularly lose workers lured by higher-wage opportunities in other industries. As a result, in non-desert areas, many centers have the space to serve children but just can't find staff, so the slots go unfilled.

The Missouri Independent lists f ive key takeaways from its investigation:

Nearly half the state’s children aged 5 and under live in child care deserts
The pandemic hit the child care industry hard, but the industry was in crisis before COVID-19
Infant care can be the hardest type of child care to find, according to experts and providers, and pandemic aid may not do much to even that out
More government money is flowing to Missouri neighborhoods that aren’t child care deserts
Government funding to child care has been a massive infusion to the industry and Missouri still has more to spend

See the methodology that guided the report.

The Missouri General Assembly has two weeks left to address the child care crisis.

Aligned supports the passage of the Governor's early childhood proposals which include an increase in the child care subsidy rate, tax credit programs to incentivize child care support, and added funding for pre-Kindergarten

Missouri's governor signed Senate Bill 51, which allows Missourians more direct access to physical therapy services, into law. Pictured left to right are Rep. Brenda Shields, Gov. Mike Parson, and Sen. Karla Eslinger. PHOTO CREDIT: Office of Missouri Governor.

Missouri Update

Senate breaks for BBQ but returns for a late-night budget bash

We now have only two weeks remaining to pass priorities for the 2023 legislative session. Despite breaking early to attend the Governor's BBQ, lawmakers logged long hours this week. The Senate worked from Tuesday afternoon into the early hours of Wednesday morning (more in the budget update below) to pass its version of the FY24 state operating budget.

Despite what was expected to be another late night on Wednesday (sleep schedules were pre-distributed to Senators' offices Wednesday morning) to debate Initiative Petition (IP) reform, the very tired Senate adjourned relatively early on Wednesday evening after a compromise was reached and subsequently approved on Thursday (more in "Outstanding Priorities" below).

Meanwhile, the House focused on loading up bills with amendments and adjourned early for its annual end-of-session party while the Senate worked late on Tuesday. Not to be outworked by the Upper Chamber, the House did not adjourn until Thursday afternoon.

Finally, Governor Mike Parson signed the first Truly Agreed and Finally Passed (TAFP'd) bill of the regular session on Thursday. SB51, sponsored by Senator Karla Eslinger (R-Ozark Co), allows patients to receive a limited number of physical therapy appointments without physician referral under certain conditions.

House Activity this Week

Homeschool Participation - On Monday, the House General Laws Committee heard SB411, sponsored by Sen.Ben Brown (R-Franklin Co), a Senate-approved omnibus that originally prohibited public school districts from participating as a member in any statewide activity or athletic association which prohibits participation by homeschool students. During the progression of the bill, amendments were offered, including:

SB230 prohibits school districts from restricting homeschooled student participation in athletics or activities
SB565, which creates a tax credit for costs associated with homeschooling, virtual education, or nonresident district attendance
Five-day school week requirement for charter schools
Requirements for homeschool students to verify residency as a condition of participation in resident-district athletic competitions or activities
A prohibition on expelled, suspended, or academically disciplined students who transfer to homeschool status from participation in school-sanctioned activities for the duration of their suspension
SB34, elective social studies courses on Hebrew scripture and New Testament
SB122, sponsored by Sen. Karla May (D-St. Louis City), requires a school district to excuse a student from attendance if they are unable to attend due to a documented mental or behavioral health concern
Statewide Assessments - On Wednesday, the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee passed HB49, sponsored by Rep. Paula Brown (D-Hazelwood), which changes the statewide student assessment system to allow school districts to choose from a list of DESE-approved accrediting entities to measure student achievement
Mental Health Absences - On Wednesday, the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee passed SB122, sponsored by Sen. Karla May (D-St. Louis City), which requires a school district to excuse a student from attendance if they are unable to attend due to a documented mental or behavioral health concern

Senate Activity this Week

STEM Awareness - On Tuesday, the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee heard SB535, sponsored by Sen. Travis Fitzwater (R-Callaway Co), which creates a "STEM Awareness Fund" for the purpose of selecting a statewide vendor to facilitate teacher-led programs in grades 9-12 with a focus on STEM careers and competitions
Public School Omnibus - On Tuesday, the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee heard HB497, sponsored by Rep Ed Lewis (R-Moberly), which modifies the existing urban flight and rural needs scholarship program to gradually increase the number of scholarships provided by the program to 300 annually by the 2029-30 school year. During the bill’s progression through the House, it was amended to become a public school omnibus which includes:
Differentiated Pay - HB190 removes the requirement that salary schedules adopted by a district's board of education apply to all teachers in the district and allows school boards to include differentiated placement of teachers on the salary schedule for hard-to-staff subject areas and hard-to-staff schools.
Retired Teacher Salaries - HB495 allows teachers to exceed the limit applicable to a Social Security recipient before the calendar year of retirement.
School Protection Officers - HB70 adds other designated school personnel to the list of employees a school district may designate as a school protection officer and allows designated school personnel the authority to carry a weapon on school grounds.
Bleeding Control Kits - HB116 requires bleeding control kits in all public school and charter school classrooms.
Personal Finance Course - HB809 requires DESE to update standards for the required personal finance 1/2 credit course, and
Extended Learning - HB483 creates the "extended learning opportunities act".

Outstanding Priorities

Sports Betting - While the NFL Draft takes place on the lawn of the National World War I Museum & Memorial this week in Kansas City, lawmakers in Jefferson City remain deadlocked in the fight to expand sports betting in Missouri to the chagrin of many - even STL Cardinals President Bill DeWitt is expressing his frustration.
Gender Affirming Medical Care & Athletic Competition Bans - Both chambers have passed their own versions of prohibitions on gender affirming medical care and bans on athletic competition in female sports, yet neither topic has been approved by the full Legislature with only 2 weeks remaining. This week, Gov. Mike Parson announced he intends to call legislators back into a special session to address the issue if they do not do so by May 12, the end of the regular session.
Initiative Petition (IP) Reform - The Senate unexpectedly reached a compromise on IP Reform this week, avoiding a drawn-out filibuster or rarely used procedural move known as the Previous Question (PQ), but l eaving members of the House and some special interest groups grumbling. Under the proposed compromise, the threshold for approval of a constitutional amendment would rise from the current simple majority threshold to 57% or an alternative of simple majority statewide and in five of the eight congressional districts. The compromise will now head back to the House for approval or modification before appearing on the 2024 ballot.
Open Enrollment - Despite bipartisan support by the House, open enrollment for nonresident pupils in Missouri schools remains stuck on the calendar with limited time remaining.

Tidbits

MO DHSS l aunches "tobacco is changing" campaign to educate parents on tobacco products and use prevention among youth
What young adults with disabilities need to succeed post-high school
The stealth campaign getting kids hooked on chess
School lunch debt is piling up in Kansas City schools
What employers can and can't do with social media when considering prospective employment
The expensive, unrealistic, and extremely white world of "momfluencers"
Missouri child care deserts include nearly half of the state's children under the age of 5
Kid "Secret Service agents" steal the show at White House 'take your kid to work' day

Upcoming Hearings / Action

Next week the Senate Appropriations Committee will take up the remaining capital improvement and ARPA-spending bills before formal approval by the full Senate.
Conference Committees will meet on the budget to iron out wrinkles between both chambers
Friday, May 5, is the constitutional deadline for approval of the state budget
Conference Committees will start to be formed on omnibus bills to remove unfavorable provisions and build packages with the least resistance
Regular committee work will wind down as members will spend more time on the floor and arm-twisting their colleagues to accept amendments

Read our full legislative report for the week of April 28th.

Missouri Budget Update

Bills pass Senate without problematic anti-DEI language.

The Senate finished work on its version of the FY24 state operating budget bills (HB's 1-15) in the wee small hours of Wednesday morning, making significant changes to the previously House-approved versions. During the debate, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough (R-Greene Co) successfully maneuvered the body around contentious issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) language removal and an amendment offered by Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Cass Co) to prohibit the construction of a landfill near the Cass and Jackson County lines.

While most budget bills passed with little or no fanfare, the most significant debate occurred during the discussion of HB2, the spending bill for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Senators Bill Eigel (R-St. Charles Co), Denny Hoskins (R-Johnson Co.), Mike Moon (R-Lawrence Co), and Rick Brattin (R-Cass Co) each took turns questioning other Senators on various appropriations included in the bill and debating the merits of DEI prohibitions which had been included in the House-approved version. In response, Senators Karla May and Steve Roberts (D-St. Louis City) and Sen. Greg Razer (D-Kansas City) spent significant time holding the floor to discuss the history of racism, slavery, and anti-LGBT efforts throughout the country. Finally, following more than six hours of debate on HB2, the budget bill was approved without anti-DEI language.

With patience dwindling late in the evening, Majority Floor Leader Cindy O'Laughlin (R-Shelby Co) provided Sen. Denny Hoskins with a slightly-more-than-motherly shoulder pat to keep him from offering amendments on other budget bills as they were passed with less opposition. Later in the week, Sen. O'Laughlin paid a visit to the House to issue a stern warning on the House side gallery to Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs) not to engage in any shenanigans trying to have his DEI language added back to the budget in the conference.

Even as the largest budget in the history of Missouri, including a $6 billion surplus, $2.5 billion remains unspent, which Chairman Hough cited as a "conservative, reasonable, and responsible spending plan for the health of our state in FY24 and beyond".

Some essential items included in the Senate budget include:

$3.6 billion in foundation funding to K-12 schools
$2.8 billion to widen I-70 to at least three lanes in both directions from Blue Springs to Wentzville
$300 million to replace an outdated and insufficient residential psychiatric care facility in Kansas City
$233 million to fully fund school transportation costs.
$78 million to boost rates to subsidized child care providers.
$56 million for pre-K programs serving students at <185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in school districts
$50 million in school safety grants
$32 million to boost pay for experienced teachers through the Career Ladder Program
$29 million to raise the minimum state public school teacher salary to $38,000 annually.
$11 million for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library free book program
$2 million to increase National Guard recruitment efforts.
Restoration of $4.6 million for state aid to public libraries
7% inflationary funding for the state's colleges and universities, as agreed in 2018

The Senate Appropriations Committee was scheduled to begin the markup process for four capital improvement and ARPA-spending bills (HB's 17-20). However, that has been rescheduled for next week to allow staff and members more time to prepare.

Status Report - Aligned Priorities

Senate committee passes two child care tax credit bills

Early Childhood

HB 870 (Shields), a bill that includes multiple child care-related tax credit provisions, was voted DO PASS from Senate Committee on Governmental Accountability on April 27th.

The Senate Committee on Governmental Accountability also voted out HB 668, which includes the tax credit language from HB 870, this week.

Teacher Recruitment and Retention

HB 497 (Lewis), the public education omnibus bill with numerous provisions related to teacher recruitment and retention and the Aligned differentiated pay priority language was heard in the Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development on April 25th.

HB 471 (Black), a bill related to employee incentive programs, received the differentiated pay language through a floor amendment in the House. That bill was also heard this week in the Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development.

School Finance

HB 901 (Pollitt), a bill that allows the Governor to transfer any excess revenues into an education stabilization fund, was voted DO PASS from House Rules Regulatory Oversight on 4-24-23.

Read the update for all Aligned Missouri priorities.

Kansas Update

Last day of session remains a moving target

Lawmakers in Topeka have yet to finalize a budget bill. The 90^th day of session, or Sine Die, is Saturday. Some question whether lawmakers will come to a decision on key issues today or extend beyond the deadline. Another option is to convene a special session after the regular session to work on issues. We may know more by tomorrow morning.

Lawmakers are negotiating two major education bills behind the scenes this week.

SB 113 is the straight education funding bill which would also provide the base funding amount for special education of $520 million and a $7.5 million increase.

HB 2089 is a rendition of the voucher bill that will allow $1,000 awards to public school students and $5,000 to private school students who have a household family income of 250% or less of the federal poverty level.

However, the tax subsidy would only apply in school districts with their administrative offices in Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Wyandotte, Douglas, Leavenworth, Riley, Butler, Reno or Saline counties (two-thirds of the state’s student population). It also has a one-time $72.4 million addition for special ed that is funded from COVID-19 relief money.

To override or not to override: that is the question

It was a contentious week as vetoed bills were debated; lawmakers worked on overriding several in the past two days. We have listed a few we are closely monitoring below. However, for a more comprehensive dive into every vetoed bill debated, check out Sunflower State Journal’s veto score card here.

Senate Sub for House Bill 2344 – Child care Provisions - OVERRIDE FAILED- (81/24) this bill would have significantly changed the regulatory requirements for child care facilities and care workers in Kansas. Proponents hoped to increase access by loosening the training requirements, increasing student to child ratios and allowing younger workers in the space.

The Governor and many child care advocates opposed the legislation on the grounds that it would undermine current safety and security provisions in place for the welfare of the child and the providers. Instead, opponents asked that a task force of early learning professionals be leveraged to design the solutions.

House Bill 2304 - Eddie Eagle/Gun safety: OVERRIDE FAILED – (83/41). The bill would not have required the state school board to establish curriculum guidelines for a standardized firearm safety education program that would include the National Rifle Association-crafted Eddie Eagle GunSafe program but made it an option for them to consider. Governor Kelly said the bill steps on the constitutional authority of local school boards and the State Board of Education to make decisions about curriculum.

Senate Substitute for House Bill 2138 - Overnight school trips: OVERIDDEN (85-39). The bill will require school districts to adopt policies for overnight accommodations for students of each biological sex during school-sponsored trips.

House Bill 2236 - Parents bill of rights: OVERRIDE FAILED (78-27). This bill would have l allowed parents to remove their children from lessons, classes or activities they think are objectionable.

House Bill 2184 – Budget Bill line item related to Tobacco settlement funds: OVERRIDDEN (85-39). The line item called for the use of the master tobacco tax settlement to fund a youth suicide prevention hotline administered by the attorney general’s office. The funds have historically been used only to fund the Children’s Initiative Fund.

Child advocates gathered in Jefferson City this week to honor child advocacy awardees. Pictured left to right: Craig Stevenson, Home State Health State Plan, Ellie Harmon, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Garrett Webb, COE Strategies, Stephanie Seger, Children's Mercy Hospital, and Linda Rallo, Aligned.

Child protection organization awards lawmakers

On Monday, Missouri KidsFirst hosted its annual "Standing With Children" award luncheon, where our friend Jessica Pabst was honored for her work as a board member of the organization and long-time advocate for child health and wellbeing. Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe was honored as the Lifetime Standing With Children Awardee, while Reps. Hannah Kelly and Crystal Quade, along with Sens. Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Lauren Arthur, were recognized as the 2023 Legislative Standing With Children awardees.

Missouri KidsFirst leads and supports communities in abuse prevention, provides training to multi-disciplinary team members engaged in child protection, and advocates public policies that address and prevent child abuse.

We applaud the work of all the leaders honored this year.

Have a wonderful weekend!