Missouri 2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

SB 998 — Creates, repeals, and modifies provisions relating to the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program

Last action — Informal Calendar S Bills for Perfection

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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Prognosis

Stalled 14% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

The bill modifies the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program and defines eligibility for participants.

This bill updates the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program by redefining student eligibility criteria and allows parent organizations to intervene legally on behalf of parents. It also removes accreditation requirements for qualified schools participating in the program.

What this means for you
  • Families: Parents of qualified students can now access support in legal matters regarding their children's education options.

Summary

SCS/SB 998 - This act creates, repeals, and modifies provisions of the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program. The act changes the definition of "illegal alien" to "legal resident" as set forth under federal law. The act modifies the definition of "qualified student" by removing the requirement for a qualified student to have attended a public school during the previous 12 months, as well as removing requirements relating to students' kindergarten eligibility and siblings who participate in the program. Such definition is further modified by adding dyslexia and disability diagnoses to requirements concerning individualized education plans. This provision is similar to a provision in SS/HCS/HBs 2097 & 1905 (2026). (Section 166.700) The act provides that an organization representing a group of parents of qualified students may intervene on behalf of such parents as a defendant in any action in which any provision of state law, the Missouri Constitution, or a state regulation involving the program is at issue. An organization that intervenes as provided in the act shall have the right to file such pleading necessary on behalf of such parents. (Section 166.719) Finally, except as specifically provided in state law, the act prohibits the creation or enforcement of any rule, regulation, or other requirement that conditions a qualified school's participation in the program on accreditation or compliance with any other requirement. Any rule, regulation, or other requirement that violates this provision is void and shall have no force or effect. (Section 166.720) OLIVIA SHANNON

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

29 added · 27 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of Bill SB 998 has clarified the eligibility criteria for certain individuals. It now explicitly includes children diagnosed with dyslexia and specifies that qualified diagnoses can come from licensed physicians and mental health professionals. This change is significant because it broadens access to education-related benefits for students with specific learning disabilities, potentially helping more children succeed in school.

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SECOND REGULAR SESSION SENATE BILLNO.
SECOND REGULAR SESSION SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR SENATE BILLNO.
998 103RD GENERALASSEMBLY INTRODUCED BY SENATOR HUDSON.
998 103RD GENERALASSEMBLY 4362S.03C KRISTINAMARTIN, Secretary ANACT To repeal sections 166.700 and 166.720, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof three new sections relating to empowerment scholarship accounts.
4362S.02I KRISTINAMARTIN, Secretary ANACT To repeal sections 166.700 and 166.720, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof three new sections relating to empowerment scholarship accounts.
SB 998 2 (6) "Private school", a school that is not a part of the public school system of the state of Missouri and that charges tuition for the rendering of elementary or secondary educational services;
SCS SB 998 2 (6) "Private school", a school that is not a part of the public school system of the state of Missouri and that charges tuition for the rendering of elementary or secondary educational services;
Section 1400 et seq., as amended, in accordance with rules of the state board of education or with the applicable rules of another state, or who has received a diagnosis of a disability from a physician who is licensed under the provisions of chapter 332, a psychologist who is licensed under the provisions of chapter 337, or a mental health professional as defined in section 632.005, while acting within their scope of practice, or a physician who holds an active license issued by another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
Section 1400 et seq., as amended, in accordance with rules of the state board of education or with the applicable rules of another state, or who has been diagnosed with dyslexia, as the term "dyslexia" is defined in section 633.420, or who has received a diagnosis of a disability from a physician who is licensed under the provisions of chapter 332, a psychologist who is licensed under the provisions of chapter 337, or a mental health professional as defined in section 632.005, while acting within their scope of practice, or a physician who holds an active license issued by another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
or (b) Is a member of a household whose total annual income does not exceed an amount equal to three hundred SB 998 3 percent of the income standard used to qualify for free and reduced price lunches[, and that meets at least one of the following qualifications:
or SCS SB 998 3 (b) Is a member of a household whose total annual income does not exceed an amount equal to three hundred percent of the income standard used to qualify for free and reduced price lunches[, and that meets at least one of the following qualifications:
Sections 166.700 to 166.720 shall not be construed to permit any governmental agency to exercise control or supervision over any qualified school in which a qualified student enrolls other than a qualified school that is a public school.
Sections 166.700 to 166.720 shall not be construed to permit any governmental agency to exercise control or supervision over any qualified school in which a SCS SB 998 4 qualified student enrolls other than a qualified school that is a public school.
SB 998 4 2.
2.
(a) Accreditation in violation of subdivision (1) of this subsection;
SCS SB 998 5 (a) Accreditation in violation of subdivision (1) of this subsection;
or SB 998 5 (b) Compliance with any rule, regulation, or other criteria or requirement in violation of subdivision (2) of this subsection.
or (b) Compliance with any rule, regulation, or other criteria or requirement in violation of subdivision (2) of this subsection.
(3) The educational assistance organization and the state treasurer shall provide the necessary information to the department of elementary and secondary education to allow the federal and state aid to continue to the public SB 998 6 school or charter school in the qualified student's resident school district previously attended by the qualified student.
(3) The educational assistance organization and the state treasurer shall provide the necessary information to the department of elementary and secondary education to SCS SB 998 6 allow the federal and state aid to continue to the public school or charter school in the qualified student's resident school district previously attended by the qualified student.
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Action History

  1. Informal Calendar S Bills for Perfection

  2. Bill Placed on Informal Calendar

  3. Reported from S Education Committee w/SCS

  4. SCS Voted Do Pass S Education Committee (4362S.03C)

  5. Hearing Conducted S Education Committee

  6. Second Read and Referred S Education Committee

  7. S First Read

  8. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 198 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (198)

198 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 198 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 998 do?
SCS/SB 998 - This act creates, repeals, and modifies provisions of the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program. The act changes the definition of "illegal alien" to "legal resident" as set forth under federal law. The act modifies the definition of "qualified student" by removing the requirement for a qualified student to have attended a public school during the previous 12 months, as well as removing requirements relating to students' kindergarten eligibility and siblings who participate in the program. Such definition is further modified by adding dyslexia and disability diagnoses to requirements concerning individualized education plans. This provision is similar to a provision in SS/HCS/HBs 2097 & 1905 (2026). (Section 166.700) The act provides that an organization representing a group of parents of qualified students may intervene on behalf of such parents as a defendant in any action in which any provision of state law, the Missouri Constitution, or a state regulation involving the program is at issue. An organization that intervenes as provided in the act shall have the right to file such pleading necessary on behalf of such parents. (Section 166.719) Finally, except as specifically provided in state law, the act prohibits the creation or enforcement of any rule, regulation, or other requirement that conditions a qualified school's participation in the program on accreditation or compliance with any other requirement. Any rule, regulation, or other requirement that violates this provision is void and shall have no force or effect. (Section 166.720) OLIVIA SHANNON
Who sponsors SB 998?
SB 998 is sponsored by Brad Hudson.
What is the current status of SB 998?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 998?
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