As the Missouri legislature started its 2026 session on Jan. 7, lawmakers in the state House and Senate had already filed more than 50 bills related to higher education.
The most popular topics this year include adjusting financial aid, extending a law that restricts transgender athletes and telling schools how to handle diversity, equity and inclusion.
Other legislation addresses support for students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness, giving student journalists freedom of the press, and defining how immigration status and higher education intersect.
Before they go to Gov. Mike Kehoe to potentially be signed into law, the bills have to survive a lengthy process including review by committees and approval by both houses. They may be amended, sometimes dramatically, at several stages in the process.
There’s no guarantee that any of these bills will receive an initial hearing, much less be discussed and approved by the full House and Senate. Since Democrats are a minority in the legislature, their bills in particular need bipartisan support to succeed.
If you want to weigh in on which of these bills should advance or how they should change, contact your representatives or refer to this guide to navigating the Missouri General Assembly.
Financial aid
Lawmakers from both parties want to change how college financial aid works.
Rep. Brandon Phelps, a Republican from Warrensburg, filed House Bill 2074 to offer college tuition waivers for dependents of certain veterans. Children, stepchildren or spouses of veterans who died as a result of their service, are missing or a prisoner of war or are classified as permanently and totally disabled are eligible.
The waivers would cover any remaining tuition at a Missouri community college or public university after all federal and state grants are applied. It would be valid for one community college degree and one bachelor’s degree.
Senate Bill 1048, sponsored by Republican Sen. Travis Fitzwater of Holts Summit, would create a similar program.
Bills sponsored by Rep. Travis Wilson of St. Charles and Sen. Mike Henderson of Desloge, both Republicans, would increase the income caps for the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant. Fast Track is aimed at helping adults pursue higher education in areas that are in high demand.
Wilson’s legislation is House Bill 2151. Henderson’s is Senate Bill 1451. Both would increase the caps from $40,000 to $50,000 for individuals or from $80,000 to $100,000 for married couples filing jointly. The cap would then rise with inflation.
Henderson is also sponsoring Senate Bill 1196, which creates a process for approving programs for Workforce Pell Grants. The new type of Pell Grant was created by Congress and can be used for shorter educational programs than were previously covered.
House Bill 2585, sponsored by Rep. David Casteel, a Republican from High Ridge, is similar. Both bills specify that eligible programs should prepare students for high-skill, high-wage or in-demand occupations.
Rep. John Black’s HB 2123 and Sen. Curtis Trent’s Senate Bill 1121 would both increase awards for the Bright Flight Scholarship Program — given to Missouri students with high test scores who stay in the state for college — to cover full tuition for some semesters. Black is a Republican from Marshfield and Trent is a Republican from southwest Missouri.
Both pieces of legislation would also mandate developing a new funding model for higher education in the state, based on the professional and workforce needs of the state.
Another bill is aimed at helping students understand and compare financial aid offers. House Bill 1934, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Marla Smith of St. Louis, would create a task force charged with developing standardized forms for admissions and financial aid offers.
Transgender athletes
At least four Republican lawmakers are attempting to remove an expiration date on a law that says students may only participate on sports teams designated for their sex as assigned at birth. The law applies to public and private schools and colleges and would otherwise expire Aug. 28, 2027.
The bills are:
- House Bill 1607 from Rep. Hardy Billington of Poplar Bluff.
- House Bill 1663 from Rep. Brian Seitz of Branson.
- House Bill 1973 from Rep. Bennie Cook of Houston.
- House Bill 2565 from Rep. Jeff Myers of Warrenton.
Senate Bill 1278, sponsored by Republican Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman of Jefferson County, would prohibit schools from being part of an athletic association that allows performance-enhancing drugs. Asked about an earlier version of the bill, Coleman told Missourinet it was inspired by a transgender male wrestler who had high testosterone levels.
Immigration
Two House Democrats from Kansas City are sponsoring legislation that would allow public colleges to treat some immigrant students as state residents. State residents usually pay a lower tuition rate.
For any student to qualify for residency, they would have to graduate from a Missouri high school or equivalent, not have established residency in another state and, if applicable, promise to pursue citizenship or legal permanent residency as soon as possible. Students couldn’t be denied admission based on their immigration status alone.
The proposals are House Bill 2062 from Rep. Wick Thomas and House Bill 2487 from Rep. Emily Weber.
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Jill Carter of southwest Missouri wants to prohibit public colleges and universities from hiring anyone with an H1-B visa. Her Senate Bill 1130 also says colleges couldn’t contract with companies that are either owned by someone with an H1-B visa or employ H1-B visa holders.
H1-B visas grant permission for foreigners in specialty occupations to temporarily live and work in the United States.
Students with disabilities
Senate Bill 1155, sponsored by Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Democrat who represents part of Clay County, would require public universities to have a policy accepting certain documentation as evidence of a disability when determining eligibility for accommodations. Examples include having had an 504 plan or individualized education program in the past.
Rep. Matthew Overcast, a Republican from Ava, is sponsoring two bills related to students with disabilities.
His House Bill 1639 also requires colleges to adopt policies related to evidence of disabilities and says that with some exceptions, professional licensing bodies would have to offer students accommodations on exams if they’d previously been eligible for accommodations on similar exams.
House Bill 1640 says public colleges can’t accept standardized test scores from entities that require students to have taken a comprehensive test for the disability within the past two years before they’ll grant disability accommodations.
Homeless and foster youth
Rep. Melissa Douglas, a Democrat from Kansas City, filed two bills aimed at adding support for college students coming out of foster care or homelessness.
House Bill 2722 would establish a governor-appointed liaison for homeless higher education students to assess needs, track trends and collaborate with high schools, colleges and other service providers to support those students.
House Bill 2721 would require each public institution of higher education to have a “homeless and foster student liaison” within its financial aid office.
It says colleges and universities can grant residency status to students 19 or younger who have been homeless during the past two years regardless of how long they have lived in the state. They can also give homeless or foster youth priority in housing between academic terms.
Freedom of the press for students
Sen. Barbara Washington, a Democrat from Kansas City, is sponsoring the Cronkite New Voices Act.
Senate Bill 1172 grants student journalists freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media. School districts and advisers can still regulate things such as the length, format and frequency of publications and can teach students standards of English and journalism.
But students are responsible for determining the content of student media and can’t be restrained from publishing it outside of specific circumstances such as suspected law violations.
Anti-cheating
House Bill 2271, sponsored by Republican Rep. Ed Lewis of Moberly, targets companies that do schoolwork for students.
They’re prohibited from offering to write essays, take exams, complete work for professional licensing or any other kind of work that they should reasonably have known is supposed to be completed by the student for credit. They also can’t share confidential exams with students. Including a disclaimer that the student won’t use the work for credit doesn’t exempt them.
However, companies can still provide assistance such as tutoring or research materials that won’t be represented as the student’s own work.
Violators of the proposed law would face civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation and could be found guilty of a misdemeanor. For repeat offenses, they could be charged with a felony. Schools could also sue for damages.
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Several Republicans want to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in schools, while a Democrat is seeking to create a DEI week.
In House Bill 1998, Rep. Mark Meirath, a Republican from Excelsior Springs, seeks to prohibit public schools and universities from using state funding for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
He defines DEI broadly as “any educational program, course, initiative, or curriculum designed to promote, teach, or enforce principles related to diversity, equity, and inclusion” such as training, curriculum or student groups.
Schools that violate the law would have to return the amount spent to the state and would lose all state funding for the fiscal year, and all future funding until the situation is fixed.
Sen. Ben Brown, a Republican from Washington, Missouri, filed Senate Bill 1192. It says agencies that accredit public colleges and universities can’t collect or consider any information about diversity, equity and inclusion when making accreditation decisions.
Senate Bill 1276, a proposal from Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from St. Charles County, requires public schools to post information about diversity, equity and inclusion practices and bans public schools, colleges and universities with a selective admissions process from using “proxy discrimination” to select students based on race.
The act defines “proxy discrimination” as using factors such as ZIP codes or socioeconomic status that correlate with race to give a preference to or discriminate against a group based on “race, sex, color, ethnicity, ancestry, or national origin.”
Rep. Michael Johnson, a Democrat from Kansas City, takes a more positive stance toward diversity, equity and inclusion. His House Bill 2685 would establish Historically Black College and University Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week at the end of September. It would encourage Missourians to celebrate diversity as exemplified by HBCUs.
