Bill > HB1338

This bill modifies the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program by expanding definitions and eligibility criteria for the program. The bill adds new definitions for "early childhood center" and "early childhood education services," which include licensed, license-exempt, and state-contracted entities providing early childhood education. It broadens the definition of "qualified student" to include children enrolled in early childhood centers and expands existing student eligibility criteria. The bill now allows students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or students from households with income up to 300% of the free and reduced lunch income standard to qualify. Eligible students can also include those who previously attended public school for at least one semester, children eligible to start kindergarten or first grade, and siblings of students who received scholarship grants in the previous school year. The bill maintains existing provisions about qualified schools, which now explicitly include early childhood centers, and continues to prohibit discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. The modifications aim to make the scholarship program more accessible to a wider range of students and educational settings.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1338&year=2025&code=R