SB 980 – This act requires the Joint Committee on Education to conduct a study on the issue of voluntary prekindergarten in Missouri. The committee must prepare a final report with any recommendations for legislative action by December 1, 2010. The study should include the access that three and four year old children have to voluntary prekindergarten in Missouri; existing analyses of public and private funding strategies; and current research from other states on the impact of state early childhood education initiatives. This act also allows the Joint Committee to request reasonable staff assistance from the Coordinating Board for Early Childhood. This act is identical to HB 2346 (2010). MICHAEL RUFF