Back to Missouri

HB2049 • 2026

Requires school districts to provide instruction in cursive writing

Requires school districts to provide instruction in cursive writing

Education
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Terry, Marlene (066)
Last action
2026-01-20
Official status
01/20/2026 - Referred: Elementary and Secondary Education(H)
Effective date
2026-08-28

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires school districts to provide instruction in cursive writing

Requires school districts to provide instruction in cursive writing

What This Bill Does

  • Requires school districts to provide instruction in cursive writing

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-20 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Referred: Elementary and Secondary Education(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

Requires school districts to provide instruction in cursive writing

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 2049
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE TERR Y .
4235H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 170, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to instruction in
cursive writing.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 170, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 170.025, to read as follows:
170.025. 1. Each school district and charter school shall ensur e that:
2 (1) Each elementary school under the control of such school district or charter
3 school pro vides instruction in cursive writing so that students creat e reada ble
4 documents thr ough legible cursive handwriting by the end of the fifth grade; and
5 (2) Each student passes with pro ficiency a teacher -constructed test
6 demonstrating competency in both r eading and writing cursive.
7 2. The department of elementary and secondary education may pr omulgate
8 rules to implement the pr ovisions of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that
9 term is defined in section 536.010, that is creat ed under the authority delegated in this
10 section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the
11 pr ovisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter
12 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly
13 pursuant to chapter 536 to revi ew , to delay the effective date, or to disappr ove and annul
14 a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority
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.
15 and any rule pr oposed or adopted after the effective date of this section shall be invalid
16 and void.
✔
HB 2049 2