Dr. Diane Golden serves on the MO-CASE Board as the Advocacy Representative. Current legislative summaries will be posted on this site.
Legislative Issues (March 2008)
Senate Bill 770 and Senate Bill 993 (Rupp and Crowell) establishes scholarships for students with developmental disabilities to attend a public school other than the one to which the student is assigned (either a different building within the same district or a different district) or to attend a private school and authorizes a tax credit program that would support scholarships to pay for all or part of tuition and fees at a public or private school for students with IEPs. Status: On Senate Informal Calendar
House Bill 1886 (Scharnhorst) is very similar to SB 993 in authorizing a tax credit program that would support scholarships to pay for all or part of tuition and fees at a public or private school for students with IEPs, capped at 10% of all IEP students. Status: On House Informal Calendar
Senate Bill 768 (Rupp) House Bill 2075 (Grisamore) creates the Missouri Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Status: SB on Informal Calendar
Senate Bill 1066 (Ridgeway) creates a second alternative certification route for individuals who complete their educator preparation through the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence allowing them to each in areas other than elementary and special education. Status: Passed Senate, voted out of House Committee
Senate Bill 1127 (Rupp) establishes the Office of Autism Services in the Department of Mental Health and charges that office with establishment of program standards. Status: Hearing conducted
Senate Bill 756 (Engler) House Bill 1627 (Portwood) changes the name of the Division of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to Division of Developmental Disabilities. Status: SB on Informal Calendar (filibuster)
House Bills 1876 & 1877 (Cunningham) Senate Bills 1225 & 1226 (Mayer) would align state law with IDEA regulations. HB 1876 would make the 5 day disclosure requirement apply to all hearings including expedited due process and HB 1877 would provide boards of education with the authority to designate an individual who can bind the district to a settlement in a resolution session. Status: Consent Calendar House and Senate
House Concurrent Resolution 19 (Sander) creates a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children’s Bill of Rights which references the benefit of adults with hearing loss being involved in the education of D/HH students and the need for unfettered communication access with peers and respect for preferred communication mode.
Status: On House Calendar
Senate Bill 1047 (Vogel) changes the definition of "special education pupil count" in the foundation formula by including IDEA eligible nonpublic students served by the school district in which the nonpublic school is located. Status: Voted out of Senate Committee
Senate Bill 1000 (Justus) would entitle students in foster care or placed in a licensed residential care facility to a full school day (six hours) of education unless the school district determines that fewer hours are warranted. No IDEA exemption currently included. Status: Senate Informal Calendar
House Bill 1807 (Cox) Senate Bill 1144 (Mayer) would change the name of the State Schools for Severely Handicapped to the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled. Status: House Consent Calendar.
Senate Bill 719 (Kennedy) and House Bill 1544 (Jones) would make accessible instructional materials more readily available for students with print disabilities when schools (elementary, secondary and post-secondary) purchase print materials for students. Status: House hearing held.
House Bill 1753 (Lampe) Senate Bill 1122 (Ridgeway) would require insurance carriers in Missouri to include coverage for treatment of autism spectrum disorders in plans issued or renewed after January 1, 2009. Status: Senate hearing held.
House Bill 2304 (Lampe) House Bill 2376 (Grisamore) requires 1) all teachers to have course content related to students with disabilities (including autism) and gifted, 2) DESE to produce and provide IEP informational document and procedural safeguards document for use by districts, 3) MACCE to make recommendations for educator training and professional development for best practices in serving students with autism, 4) DESE to appoint an autism ombudsman, identify best practices in serving students with autism, and identify an autism specialist at each RPDC, 5) DESE to establish a network of EC centers to serve children with autism (subject to appropriations), 6) a new fund be established to provide training to school staff to serve students with disabilities and all educations to have such training and if the fund is insufficient allows for a tax credit for participants, and 7) creation of an Autism Commission (similar to other Commission bills). Status: Referred to committee.