JOB TRAINING

This act modifies the definition of "new capital investment" by allowing costs incurred by a qualified company at the project facility prior to acceptance of the proposal for benefits to be considered new capital investment. (Section 620.800)

This act allows the Department of Economic Development to contract with other entities for the purpose of advertising, marketing, and promoting the Missouri Works Training program. (Section 620.803)

This act allows the Department of Economic Development to provide assistance through the Missouri Works Job Development Fund to a consortium of companies if a majority of the consortium are qualified companies. (Section 620.806)

Currently, Missouri Works Training projects are funded by redirecting withholding taxes remitted by a qualified company for new or retained jobs created by the company. This act allows the Department of Economic Development to provide up-front funding from appropriations from the general revenue fund. For projects that utilize such funding, the amount of withholding taxes redirected for the project shall be reduced by the amount of funds received through the general revenue appropriation. (Section 620.809)

These provisions are identical to provisions contained in SS/SCS/HB 93 (2017) and SS/SCS/SB 10 (2017).

MISSOURI WORKS

This act modifies several provisions of the Missouri Works program.

The definition of "new job" is changed to prohibit a job from being considered a new job because of a change of ownership in the company unless the company ceases to do business, there is a break in employment, and the company is subsequently restarted by new ownership, as described in the act.

A new definition of "owner" is included, which is defined as a person with an ownership interest in a company. The term shall not include persons with less than a ten percent ownership interest or persons whose interest is solely through an employee stock ownership plan, as described in the act.

The definition of "project facility base employment" is changed to provided that awarded benefits shall not apply to base employment.

The definition of "project facility base payroll" is changed to provide that the amount of base payroll shall be equal to or greater than the previous year's base payroll while keeping the number of employees in the base constant. The company may choose the method of reporting the number of employees in the base, but the method shall remain in effect throughout the benefit period. (Section 620.2005)

These provisions are identical to provisions contained in SS/SCS/SB 10 (2017) and similar to SB 349 (2017).

ADULT HIGH SCHOOLS

This act requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to authorize a Missouri-based nonprofit organization before January 1, 2018, to establish and operate four adult high schools, as defined in the act, with one location in St. Louis City and one location each in Butler County, Greene County, and Boone County, or a county contiguous to each of these counties.

The authorization shall be granted by a bid process conducted in accordance with the rules and regulations governing purchasing through the Office of Administration. The requirements for a successful bid are described in the act. The act requires DESE to work with the successful bidder to assess the specific requirements for a student to obtain a high school diploma. The requirements shall be based on an adult student's prior high school achievement and the remaining credits and coursework required for the student to receive a high school diploma if he or she were in a traditional high school setting.

The adult high school shall award high school diplomas to adult students who successfully complete the requirements and the diploma will be indistinguishable from a traditional high school diploma. This act allows an adult student to complete required coursework at his or her own pace and as available through the adult high school. The act prohibits DESE from creating additional regulations or burdens on the adult high school or an adult student beyond certifying necessary credits and ensuring that a student has sufficiently mastered the subject matter to make him or her eligible for credit.

A person must be 21 years of age or older and have not yet earned a high school diploma in order to be eligible to enroll in an adult high school. Admission preference shall be given to a student who receives any local, state, or federal assistance in which a person or family is required not to exceed a certain income level in order to qualify for the assistance.

The act specifies that an adult high school shall not receive funding from the foundation formula and shall not receive any local funding that is intended to benefit traditional public schools or charter schools in the state. An adult high school may receive funding from public or private sources, including from the nonprofit organization operating the adult high school. If the adult high school receives funding from a public source, it must operate in a manner that does not violate the provisions of Article IX, Section 8, or Article I, Section 7 of the Missouri Constitution or the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

The nonprofit organization operating the adult high school shall ensure that funding for the school enables it to operate year-round, and it shall set outcome expectations for the school as described in the act. The nonprofit organization shall submit an annual report to DESE, the Joint Committee on Education, the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate before December first each year.

These provisions are similar to SS/SCS/HB 93 (2017) and SB 406 (2017).

JAMIE ANDREWS