HCS/SB 718 - This act creates and modifies provisions relating to elementary and secondary education and higher education. HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY WEEK (Section 9.170) This act designates the third week of September in every year as "Historically Black College and University Week" in Missouri. This provision is identical to SB 83 (2021) and HB 1381 (2020). MEDICAL PRECEPTORSHIP TAX CREDIT (Section 135.690) For all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, this act authorizes a taxpayer to claim a tax credit for serving as a community-based faculty preceptor for a medical student core preceptorship or a physician assistant student core preceptorship, as such terms are defined in the act. The tax credit shall be equal to $1,000 for each preceptorship, but not to exceed $3,000 in any tax year. Tax credits authorized by the act shall not be refundable or transferable, and shall not be carried forward or backward to any other tax year. The total amount of tax credits authorized in a given year shall not exceed $200,000. Additional tax credits may be authorized provided in amount not to exceed the excess funds available in the Medical Preceptor Fund, as created by the act. Beginning January 1, 2023, the Division of Professional Registration of the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance shall increase the license fees for physicians and surgeons by $7 and for physician assistants by $3, with such revenues to be deposited in the Medical Preceptor Fund. At the end of each tax year, an amount equal to the total dollar amount of tax credits claimed during the tax year shall be transferred to the General Revenue Fund. This provision is substantially similar to SCS/SB 801 (2022), SS/HB 502 (2021), HCS/SCS/SB 403 (2021), HCS/SS/SB 580 (2020), and HB 2036 (2020). DUAL CREDIT DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES (Sections 160.545, 173.2500, and 173.2505) Currently, the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development reimburses the cost of tuition and fees for any dual credit or dual enrollment course. This act repeals this provision. This act creates provisions regarding dual enrollment courses. A dual enrollment course is a postsecondary course of instruction delivered by an approved higher education institution in which a secondary school student is concurrently enrolled in a Missouri high school and an approved higher education institution. The act renames the "Dual Credit Scholarship Act" as the "Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment Scholarship Act." In order to receive a dual enrollment scholarship, a student must meet current law requirements and be enrolled in a dual enrollment course offered by an approved higher education institution. Under current law, a dual credit scholarship shall reimburse each eligible student for up to fifty percent of the tuition and cost paid by the student to enroll in a dual credit course. Current law also limits the amount of the scholarship per student to $500 annually for all dual credit courses taken by such student. This act provides that each eligible student shall be offered a dual credit or dual enrollment scholarship equal to the tuition and fees paid by the student to enroll in the dual credit or dual enrollment course. The act also repeals the $500 limitation. Finally, the act renames the Dual Credit Scholarship Fund as the Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment Scholarship Fund. These provisions are similar to SB 1055 (2022). CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AID (Section 167.908) This act requires the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development to establish a procedure for providing the means and capability for high school students enrolled in certain career and technical education programs to complete an application for aid through the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. These provisions are similar to SCS/SB 703 (2022) and SB 265 (2021). COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES (Sections 170.018 and 170.036) This act modifies the definition of "computer science course" by including any elementary, middle, or high school course that embeds computer science content within other subjects. This act requires, for all school years on or after July 1, 2023, certain coursework and instruction in computer science and computational thinking in public and charter high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. Courses and instruction offered under this act must meet certain standards established by the State Board of Education and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This act requires school districts to submit to the Department certain information related to its computer science courses and demographic enrollment information for such courses. Such information shall be posted on the Department's website by September 30th of each school year. On or before June 30th annually, the Department shall publish a list of computer science course codes and names with a course description and shall indicate which courses meet or exceed the Department's computer science performance standards. The Department shall appoint a computer science advisor to implement these provisions of the act. Beginning July 1, 2023, computer science courses successfully completed and counted toward state graduation requirements shall be equivalent to one science or practical arts credit for the purpose of satisfying admission requirements at any public institution of higher education in the state. This act establishes the "Computer Science Education Task Force". The Task Force shall develop a strategic plan for expanding a statewide computer science education program, as described in the act. The Task Force shall hold its first meeting within three months of the effective date of the act and shall present a summary of its activities and recommendations for legislation to the General Assembly before June 30, 2023. The Task Force shall dissolve on June 30, 2024. These provisions are identical to the SCS/HCS/HB 2304 (2022), perfected HB 2202 (2022) and substantially similar to SCS/SB 659 (2022). NAME, IMAGE, AND LIKENESS RIGHTS (Section 173.280) This act authorizes a postsecondary educational institution or any officer, director, or employee of such institution, including a coach or any individual associated with an athletic department, to identify or assist with opportunities for a student athlete to earn compensation from a third party for the use of the student athlete's name, image, likeness rights, or athletic reputation, provided that the person doesn't serve as the student athlete's agent, receive compensation from the student athlete or a third party, attempt to influence an athlete's choice of professional representation or reduce the athlete's opportunities from competing third parties, or be present at any meeting between a student athlete and a third party where the student athlete's compensation is negotiated or completed. Currently, postsecondary educational institutions that enter into commercial agreements that require the use of a student athlete's name, image, likeness, or athletic reputation must conduct a financial development program for the athletes. This act requires such program to include information concerning financial aid, debt management, and a recommended budget for student athletes based on the current year's cost of attendance. The program must also include information on time management skills necessary for success as a student athlete and available academic resources. WORKFORCE DIPLOMA PROGRAM (Section 173.831) This act establishes the "Workforce Diploma Program" within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to assist students in obtaining a high school diploma and in developing employability and career and technical skills through campus-based, blended, or online modalities. Before September 1, 2022, and annually each year after, the Department shall issue a request for qualifications for interested program providers to become approved providers to participate in the program. Each approved program provider shall meet qualifications set forth in the act, including having at least two years of experience in providing adult dropout recovery services. The Department shall announce approved program providers prior to October 16th each year, and approved program providers shall begin enrolling students before November 15th each year. Approved program providers shall maintain approval without reapplying annually unless the provider has been removed pursuant to this act. All approved program providers shall comply with requirements set by the Department to ensure an accurate accounting of a student's accumulated credits, an accurate accounting of credits necessary to complete a high school diploma, and any coursework to be aligned with the academic performance standards of this state. Subject to appropriations, the Department shall set and pay approved program providers for meeting certain milestones. However, no approved program provider shall receive funding for a student if such provider already receives federal or state funding or private tuition for such student. Additionally, no approved program provider shall charge student fees of any kind, including textbook fees, tuition fees, lab fees, or participation fees, unless the student chooses to obtain additional education offered by the provider that is not included in the program. In order to receive payments, approved program providers shall be required to submit monthly invoices to the Department before the eleventh calendar day of each month for the milestones met by students in the previous month. The Department shall pay approved program providers in the order in which invoices are submitted until all available funds are exhausted. The Department shall also provide a written update to approved program providers by the last day of each month, which shall include the aggregate total dollars that have been paid to the providers, and the estimated number of enrollments still available for the program year. Prior to July 16th of each year, each approved program provider shall report certain information set forth in the act to the Department for each individual participating student, on a student-by-student basis, including the total number of students who have been funded through the program, the total number of credits earned, the total number of employability skills certifications issued, the total number of industry-recognized credentials earned, stackable credentials, and technical skill assessments, the total number of graduates, the average costs per graduate, and the graduation rate. Additionally, prior to September 16th of each year, each approved program provider shall conduct and submit to the Department the aggregate results of a survey of each individual participating student, on a student-by-student basis, who graduated from the program of the provider. This act provides that the survey shall be conducted in the year after the student's graduation year and the following 4 consecutive years. The survey shall include certain data collection elements as provided in the act, including employment status, wage, access to employer-sponsored health care, and postsecondary enrollment status. The Department shall review data from each approved program provider, at the end of the second fiscal year of the program, to ensure that each provider is achieving minimum program performance standards. Any provider failing to meet such standards shall be placed on probationary status for the remainder of the fiscal year. If a provider fails to meet the standards for two consecutive years, such provider shall be removed from the approved program provider list. Additionally, this act provides that no approved program provider shall discriminate against a student on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexuality, gender, or age. If an approved program provider determines that a student would be better served by participating in a different program, the provider may refer the student to the state's adult basic education services. Further, the act creates the "Workforce Diploma Program Fund" in the state treasury. The fund shall consist of grants, gifts, donations, bequests, and moneys appropriated for purposes of the program. Finally, the program shall sunset on August 28, 2028, unless reauthorized by the General Assembly. This provision is identical to a provision in SCS/HCS/HB 2304 (2022), HB 2325 (2022) and is similar to SB 957 (2022), SB 139 (2021), and SB 839 (2020). SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE INFORMATION (Section 173.1200) Beginning July 1, 2023, this act requires a public school or charter school with pupils in grades seven to twelve, as well as a public institution of higher education, that issues pupil or student identification cards to print the 3-digit dialing code that directs calls and routes text messages to he Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 988. This provision is identical to provisions in SCS/SB 1142 (2022), HCS/HB 2136 (2022) and similar to HB 2238 (2022) ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATION CREDIT (Section 173.1352) This act creates provisions relating to advanced placement examinations. Each institution, which includes in-state public community college, college, or university that offers postsecondary freshman-level courses shall adopt and implement a policy to grand undergraduate course credit to entering freshman students for each advanced placement examination where a student achieves a score of 3 or higher for any similarly correlated course offered by the institution. This provision is identical to HCS/HB 1683 (2022) and similar to HB 1208 (2021). BANKRUPTCY EXEMPTIONS (Section 513.430) The act also provides bankruptcy protection for the Missouri Education Savings Program and the Missouri Higher Education Deposit Program. The act limits the protection to proceedings filed or on appeal after January 1, 2022, and only for designated beneficiaries that are lineal descendants of the account owner. The act provides for circumstances that are not subject to the bankruptcy protection. This provision is identical to a provision in the perfected HCS/HB 2171 (2022), a provision in the perfected HB 2571 (2022), a provision in the perfected HB 2493 (2022) and HB 1940 (2022). JIM ERTLE