Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a series of bills that affect a wide array of individuals, including parents, children, foster parents, and more.
One of these is a bill that will end the state's longstanding practice of seizing foster children's Social Security benefits to cover the cost of foster care. Another bill bans child marriage and includes a provision to prevent child sex abusers from using non-disclosure agreements to silence their victims.
Missouri Governor Signs Series of Bills
This particular bill was sponsored by Republican state Rep. Melissa Schmidt and was handled by Sen. Jamie Burger when it arrived in the upper chamber. The development comes as the state's child welfare agency takes millions of dollars in children's benefits annually and uses the money to pay for foster care.
The Children's Division was found to have spent more than $10.6 million recovered from children's benefits in fiscal year 2024. Additionally, more than 1,200 foster kids received benefits in the state late last year, which is about 10% of all kids in the system, according to the Missouri Independent.
This resulted in children who were orphaned or had disabilities becoming responsible for paying toward the cost of their own care in state custody. The new bill bars the state from using these benefits to pay itself back for routine foster expenses.
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It would instead allow the use of the funds for the child's "unmet needs" beyond what the division is obligated to pay. These include housing as the child prepares to age out of the foster care system.
Another law that Kehoe signed includes a ban on cellphones in Missouri schools. It notes that starting in the 2025-26 school year, each school district, along with charter schools, is required to have a written policy regarding students' use of cellphones, STLPR reported.
Addressing Various Issues
This bill also had a section that raises the age at which school bus drivers are required to annually renew their non-commercial license. Current legislation requires such school employees to renew their licenses every year at age 70, but the new law will raise this to 75 and change the annual requirement to be biannually.
The governor also signed House Bill 419, which modifies several provisions related to education. It will require the Missouri State School Activities Association to waive the minimum practice requirement for active-duty military students.
The bill also establishes a separate custodial account to deposit monies from the University of Missouri's Seminary Fund that will be used to support agricultural programs while expanding healthcare workforce recruitment, as per KCTV5.
