House Higher Education moves tuition legislation forward
On Monday, March 1, the House Higher Education Committee, chaired by Rep. Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph) voted do-pass on the House Committee Substitute (HCS) for HB 856, sponsored by Rep. Doug Richey (Excelsior Springs). The legislation would remove the restrictions imposed by the Higher Education Student Funding Act, commonly referred to as HESFA or SB 389.
Before the committee voted on the bill, Rep. John Black (R-Marshfield) told committee members, “I will vote affirmatively to get this bill out of committee. I believe this bill has great potential, and that potential would be to include some efficiency measures for the institutions of higher education associated with this tuition cap relief.” Rep. Black suggested specific measures, including faculty credit hour production and administrative efficiency. He also indicated that he will ask for an amendment to add those measures if the bill is considered on the House floor.
Following Rep. Black’s remarks, Rep. Shields presented an amendment that requires institutions that implement a “differentiated” tuition model to notify the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD). Those institutions would be prohibited from using required course fees. Rep. Richey accepted the amendment. In addition to that change, the House Committee Substitute would remove the HESFA restrictions permanently after July 1, 2022. The original version of the bill would have done so for five years.
The committee voted do-pass on the committee substitute, with Rep. Shields’ amendment, by a vote of 8-4.
House General Laws Committee considers concealed carry legislation
On Monday, March 1, Rep. Jered Taylor (R-Republic) presented HB 86 before the House General Laws Committee, chaired by Rep. Curtis Trent (R-Springfield). Rep. Taylor’s legislation would allow concealed carry license holders to carry concealed firearms onto public higher education institution campuses.
The legislation would also “prohibit the state, political subdivisions, and public institutions of higher education from imposing any policies or contractual requirements that would have the effect of prohibiting employees or students from the carrying of concealed firearms into locations where concealed carry is not otherwise prohibited by law.” Committee members also discussed whether the legislation extended to constitutional carry. Rep. Taylor responded that he would need to research the issue.
Rep. Taylor mentioned that state law lists 17 types of property where individuals are not allowed to carry guns. HB 86 would reduce that list. Rep. Taylor said, “You will notice many of these areas are private property. We are not telling the private property owner what they can and can’t do. We are leaving it up to them.”
Several committee members expressed concerns and asked questions. Rep. Keri Ingle (D-Lee’s Summit) noted that allowing people to carry concealed weapons in bars could be dangerous. Others indicated concern about allowing college-aged students to carry firearms on campus, especially in residence halls and Greek student housing.
Proponents of the legislation spoke about other states’ laws and precedents set by appellate courts. Proponents also shared their beliefs on government regulation when it comes to firearms and public property. Opponents of the bill argued the liabilities they feared this bill would cause for private property owners and the safety risks of allowing firearms on higher education campuses.
House Subcommittee amends the education budgets
On Wednesday, March 3, the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Education, chaired by Rep. Rusty Black (R- Chillicothe) amended HB 3, the budget bill that funds higher education. The subcommittee also made changes to HB 2, which funds elementary and secondary education.
Subcommittee members offered several amendments which increased and decreased funding and provided new language in the bills. Recommendations from the subcommittee included reductions in the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant funding totaling $1 million in new general revenue funds. Those funds were added to community colleges’ core operating appropriation and to Lincoln University’s land grant match.
Committee members also voted to move $3.2 million from HB 2 to fund higher education and workforce development programs, including:
- $133,378 to support UMSL’s international collaboration and economic opportunity program
- $643,829 for repairs at Missouri Western State University’s Scanlon Hall
- $2.5 million to increase funding for community colleges; this amount plus the $500,000 from Fast Track bring the total increase to $3 million
Other considerations approved by the subcommittee included:
- $3 million in line-item funding for the University of Missouri’s Precision Medicine Initiative was rolled into the System’s core.
- Language was added to the Fast Track appropriation that caps awards at (1) private four-year institutions at the in-state tuition rate for the University of Missouri-Columbia and (2) private two-year institutions at the rate of the “most comparable program” at any Missouri two-year community college or the State Technical College of Missouri.
Some legislators also expressed support for increasing funding for the state’s student financial aid programs. In addition, lawmakers discussed budget language that would require Missouri institutions of higher education that participate in certain state financial aid programs to provide data on the “distribution and utilization of such funds” to MDHEWD in order to provide an annual report to the General Assembly.
Senate confirms three new members to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education
On Thursday, March 3, the Missouri Senate confirmed the following to serve on the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE):
- Anne-Marie Clarke, St. Louis, to represent District 1
- Hollie Elliot, Fair Grove, to represent District 4
- Phillip Hoffman, Trenton, to represent District 6
Read more about the new coordinating board members here.
|
