To the Constituents of the 125th District,

Another busy week at the State Capitol, with several bills being 3rd read and passed, so they will be moving on to the Senate and are listed below. One thing many of our constituents wanted was what the legislature titled “Parents Bill of Rights”, some legislation that dealt with school boards that did not listen to parents and seemed to be pushing their own agendas. I feel fortunate and blessed to live in rural Missouri, where this does not seem to be the problem that it is in bigger cities, and our schools and school boards listen and work with the parents in a good way. There are some districts where this is not the case and hopefully HB 1858 will help in this effort. Also this week the Republican Caucus talked about and filed a bill for economic relief for Missouri taxpayers that should come to the floor next week and is good legislation for the people of Missouri.
I wish each and every one of you a Happy and safe Easter and to realize that the risen Savior is our greatest gift. Happy Easter!
House Approves Legislation to Create Parents’ Bill of Rights (HB 1858)
The members of the Missouri House have approved legislation that would give parents a greater say in the education their children receive. The House gave first-round approval to HB 1858, which creates the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act of 2022. The bill’s sponsor said the bill meant to address the concerns of parents who “are not happy with what is happening in the classroom with their children.” He added, “Many times they are left with no recourse. School boards are not being responsive. There are situations where parents are being ignored, not listened to.” He said his bill “empowers parents. I think it empowers them to be able to be engaged in their student’s education.” He also noted that 11 states currently have similar laws outlining parental rights.
HB 1858 provides a list of rights that parents may require school districts to follow. Some of the parental rights outlined in the bill include the right to review curricula, books and instructional materials; the right to visit school during school hours with restrictions; and the right to have sufficient accountability and transparency regarding school boards.
The bill’s sponsor said, “There are a lot of things that could entail when it comes to things that are being taught in the classroom. Whether it’s age-inappropriate material, whether it’s books that should not be in front of students at those ages, or whether it’s critical race theory. Some of the things that are happening, we have to address.”
The sponsor of the amendment said, “We’re making sure that teachers and students are not being compelled into believing certain ideas; not that they can’t teach those ideas. You can teach about controversial ideas that might cause people discomfort but you can’t force people to agree to those ideas.”
The amendment sponsor added, “We should not have collective racial guilt, but we should not have collective amnesia, or collective racial amnesia. What I think we ought to do is we ought to have collective pride.”
House Leadership Announces Plan to Provide Economic Relief to Working Missourians (HB 3021)
Members of House Leadership and the chairman of the House Budget Committee want to help working Missourians afford the ever-increasing cost of living. The Budget Committee chairman filed legislation this week that would create a one-time economic recovery tax credit for Missouri residents who paid personal income tax in the state for 2021. The plan immediately gained the support of the members of House leadership.
HB 3021 will appropriate $1 billion from the state’s General Revenue Fund to fund a one-time economic recovery non-refundable tax credit. Under the plan, anyone filing an individual Missouri personal income tax return would receive up to a $500 credit. Married couples filing jointly would receive up to a $1,000 credit. The credit is limited to individuals who were a Missouri resident for the entire tax year.
“As families struggle to make ends meet with the rising cost of inflation, it’s important that we do everything we can to help them keep more of their hard-earned dollars. The state is fortunate to have a record surplus that we can use a portion of to provide direct economic relief to working Missourians,” said the House Budget chairman. The members of House Leadership issued a joint statement saying, “As a caucus we have made it clear that we do not support the idea of spending every available dollar to increase the size of government, but instead believe individual Missourians are the best decision makers for how to spend their tax dollars.”
I am honored to serve as your Representative in the Missouri House. If at any time, you have questions, concerns or ideas regarding state government, please feel free to contact me at 573-751-4065 or Jim.Kalberloh@house.mo.gov.
State Representative Jim Kalberloh