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2018 Legislative Session Recap

Budget
After being sent to conference, both chambers adopted and passed the House‘s proposed budget for higher education. This version restores performance funding and core funding for the UM System at $38 million, totaling $416.4 million. They also funded the line items at 60 percent ($8.4 million) and rolled them into the core budget. In recent years, the Governor has withheld funding the line items, by rolling them into the core it would prevent the funding for our line items from being withheld in future years.

Below is what each program would receive:

• $6 million for the MU Medical School Partnership (Springfield Clinical Campus); requested $10 million
• $1.8 million for the UMKC School of Dentistry Satellite at MSSU; requested $3 million
• $1.2 million for the Missouri S&T and MSU Engineering Expansion; requested $2 million
• $1.2 million for UMKC/MSU Pharmacy Doctorate Program; requested $2 million

This was the product of a compromise made with the House Budget Chair Scott Fitzpatrick after agreeing that UM System would not increase tuition past 1 percent next year. We are incredibly grateful for the support that Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick and Chairman Dan Brown have provided the UM System. 

Degree Offerings
House Bill 1465, sponsored by Representative Steve Cookson, was truly agreed and finally passed early on this legislative session. HB1465 is the product of a compromise made among all public institutions of higher education in Missouri. The bill declares the University of Missouri System as the only public research institution in the state and designates the UM System as the only state college or university that may offer doctor of philosophy degrees or first-professional degrees, including dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. Furthermore, it clarifies that the UM System campuses are the only schools that can offer degrees in engineering.

HB 1465 clearly defines “swim lanes” for all public universities and requires that new degree programs unusual to the institution undergo a comprehensive review process.

Higher Education SB 807
Senate Bill 807 passed both chambers on the last day of session. This bill originally mirrored language from HB1465, but additional language was added throughout the process. Many of the language included was also truly agreed and finally passed in other legislation. The following provisions were included in the final version of SB807:

• Degree Offering Language – identical language to HB1465 (see above)
• Tuition Increases – changes the cap on tuition increases at public institutions of higher education in the state by permitting them to increase tuition by inflation plus an amount, but not more than 5 percent, that would produce an increase in net tuition revenue, as defined in the act, no greater than the amount by which state operating support was reduced in the previous fiscal year.
• Civics Achievement Examination – requires any student attending a public institution of higher education in the state to score at least a 70 percent on the Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination as a condition of graduation. The exam will consist of 50-100 questions similar to the questions in the U.S. citizenship exam.
• State Purchases – excludes public institutions of higher education from the application of laws pertaining to state purchases (same language as HB1879 which was also truly agreed and finally passed)
• A+ Schools Program – removes the requirement that a student’s attendance at a public high school in the state be the three years immediately prior to graduation. It also adds that a student shall have graduated from such public high school to receive funds (same language as HB1744, also truly agree and finally passed)
• Attachment of School Districts – allows a community college district to propose a plan, by majority vote of its board of trustees, to the voters of the school district to attach the school district to the community college district, levy a tax rate equal to the rate applicable to the community college district at the time of the vote of the board of trustees and call and election upon the questions of such plan (language included in HB1291, SB990, and HB1446, all truly agreed and finally passed)
• Public Safety Officer or Employee Survivor Grant – adds several professions to the list of professionals whose children and spouses are eligible to receive a public safety officer or employee survivor grant from the Coordinating Board for Higher Education within the Department of Higher Education
• Access Missouri– allows students enrolled in approved virtual institutions to participate in the Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program.
• College Credit Disclosure Act – requires institutions that grant college level credit but is not accredited by a federally recognized regional accreditor to disclose, during the admission application process, that the institution is not accredited.
• Mental Health – requires public institutions to publish a report relating to mental health services provided on college campuses (UM System is already doing this)

UMKC Dental Bill
House Bill 1268, sponsored by Representative Donna Lichtenegger, allowing the Missouri Dental Board to issue dental faculty permits to individuals who are employed by accredited dental schools, colleges, or programs in Missouri, was truly agreed and finally passed and now awaits signature on the Governor’s desk. This legislation will allow qualified dental instructors to teach dentistry without having to go through the extensive and difficult procedure necessary to get a license to practice dentistry. The bill passed with bipartisan support 147-2.

STEM Initiative
The 2018 Legislative Session brought about a strong push for a focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) awareness and education. SB894 creates the “STEM Career Awareness Program” to increase STEM career awareness among students in grades 6-8. Students will be introduced to a variety of careers relating to STEM through an online based STEM curriculum. SB894 will also allow students to fulfill one unit of academic credit with a district-approved computer science course for any math, science, or practical arts unit required for high school graduation, as long as the student has already taken all required courses for end-of-course exams. School districts are required to inform students electing to use a computer science course for a mathematics unit that some institutions of higher education may require 4 units of math for college admission. Parents must provide consent and acknowledgement that electing to take a computer science course over a fourth unit of math may have an adverse effect on college decisions.