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HB1640 • 2026

Prohibits public institutions of higher education from accepting examination scores from testing entities that require disabled individuals to undergo comprehensive testing for disabilities that do not change over time

Prohibits public institutions of higher education from accepting examination scores from testing entities that require disabled individuals to undergo comprehensive testing for disabilities that do not change over time

Education Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Overcast, Matthew (155)
Last action
2026-05-15
Official status
05/15/2026 - Referred: Emerging Issues(H)
Effective date
2026-08-28

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide a detailed list of examples for lifelong disabilities or specify the exact types of standardized tests covered beyond listing some examples.

Ban on Certain Test Scores for Disabled Students

This law stops public colleges and universities in Missouri from accepting test scores if the tests require students with lifelong or static disabilities to take extra disability checks within two years of taking the main test.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines 'disabled applicant' as someone with a documented lifelong or static disability.
  • Specifies that public institutions of higher education in Missouri cannot accept scores from certain standardized tests if these tests require disabled applicants to undergo comprehensive disability testing within two years before taking the main test.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Disabled students applying to public colleges and universities in Missouri
  • Public institutions of higher education in Missouri

Terms To Know

Lifelong disability
An underlying neurodevelopmental or medical condition that persists across the individual's lifespan, such as dyslexia or ADHD.
Static disability
A non-progressive condition where the underlying impairment and its inherent severity remain stable over time.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies to public institutions of higher education in Missouri.
  • It does not specify what accommodations are allowed for disabled applicants who do not undergo comprehensive testing within two years.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-15 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Referred: Emerging Issues(H)

  2. 2026-01-08 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Read Second Time (H)

  3. 2026-01-07 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Read First Time (H)

  4. 2025-12-01 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Prefiled (H)

Official Summary Text

Prohibits public institutions of higher education from accepting examination scores from testing entities that require disabled individuals to undergo comprehensive testing for disabilities that do not change over time

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1640
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE OVERCAST .
4746H.02I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 173, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to accommodations
for admissions tests.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 173, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 173.068, to read as follows:
173.068. 1. As used in this section, the following terms mean:
2 (1) "Disabled applicant", an individual with a documented lifelong disability or
3 static disability;
4 (2) "Lifelong disability", an underlying neurodeve lopmental or medical
5 condition that persists acr oss the individual's lifespan. Such conditions are
6 nonpr ogress ive in nature, though symptoms may be mitigated or managed thr ough
7 appr opriate interventions. Lifelong disabilities include, but ar e not limited to, specific
8 learning disabilities such as dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
9 and autism spectrum disorder (ASD);
10 (3) "Public institution of higher education", a community college, state college,
11 or state university located in Missouri that recei ves state moneys;
12 (4) "Standardized applicant examination" includes, but is not limited to, the
13 following:
14 (a) Advanced Placement (AP) exams;
15 (b) American College T esting pr ogram examination (ACT);
16 (c) Classic Learning T est (CL T);
17 (d) Graduate Management Admission T est (GMA T);
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
18 (e) Law School Admission T est (LSA T);
19 (f) Medical College Admission T est (MCA T);
20 (g) Pr eliminary Scholastic Aptitude T est/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying
21 T est (PSA T/NMSQT); and
22 (h) Scholastic Aptitude T est (SA T);
23 (5) "Static disability , a nonprog res sive condition in which the underlying
24 impairment and its inher ent severity rem ain stable over time. A static disability is
25 characterized by a fixed level of functional limitation that does not substantially
26 impr ove, deteriorate, or change in natur e, even though the individual's performance,
27 skills, or adaptive strategies may develop thr ough intervention or experience.
28 2. For the 2027-28 academic year and all subsequent academic years, a public
29 institution of higher education shall not accept standardized applicant examination
30 scor es fr om an entity that req uires a disabled applicant to have taken a compreh ensive
31 test for a documented disability within the two years before the date of the standardized
32 applicant examination in order for the disabled applicant to r eceive allowed
3 3 accommodations under:
34 (1) The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C.
35 Section 1400 et seq., as amended;
36 (2) Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. Section 794,
37 as amended; or
38 (3) The federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. Section 12101
39 et seq., as amended.
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HB 1640 2