SB1612 • 2026

Creates the "Success for Homeless and Foster Youth in Higher Education Act" requiring all public institutions of higher education to designate a homeless and foster student liaison within the institution's financial aid office

Education Housing

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Washington, Barbara; House handler: N/A
Last action: 2026-02-12
Official status: Second Read and Referred S Education Committee
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.

Creates the "Success for Homeless and Foster Youth in Higher Education Act" requiring all public institutions of higher education to designate a homeless and foster student liaison within the institution's financial aid office

The following summaries of this bill are available: Print All Summaries Introduced Print SB 1612 - This act creates the "Success for Homeless and Foster Youth in Higher Education Act" and requires all public institutions of higher education to designate a homeless and foster student liaison within the institution's financial aid office.

What This Bill Does

The following summaries of this bill are available: Print All Summaries Introduced Print SB 1612 - This act creates the "Success for Homeless and Foster Youth in Higher Education Act" and requires all public institutions of higher education to designate a homeless and foster student liaison within the institution's financial aid office.
The liaison shall assist current and prospective students in applying for federal and state financial aid, as provided in the act.
A public institution of higher education may grant resident status to a Missouri resident who is 19 years of age or under at the time of enrollment, regardless of how long the student has resided in the state, if the student is determined to have been homeless at any time during the two years immediately preceding such student's enrollment.
A public institution of higher education that offers student housing may develop a plan to provide that homeless and foster students have access to housing resources as needed during and between academic terms.

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

2026-02-12 S383
Second Read and Referred S Education Committee
2026-01-29 S258
S First Read

Official Summary Text

The following summaries of this bill are available:

Print All Summaries

Introduced

Print

SB 1612 - This act creates the "Success for Homeless and Foster Youth in Higher Education Act" and requires all public institutions of higher education to designate a homeless and foster student liaison within the institution's financial aid office. The liaison shall assist current and prospective students in applying for federal and state financial aid, as provided in the act.

A public institution of higher education may grant resident status to a Missouri resident who is 19 years of age or under at the time of enrollment, regardless of how long the student has resided in the state, if the student is determined to have been homeless at any time during the two years immediately preceding such student's enrollment.

A public institution of higher education that offers student housing may develop a plan to provide that homeless and foster students have access to housing resources as needed during and between academic terms. The plan may grant such students first priority for housing placement and provide that they be placed in the institution's housing facility that remains open for occupation during the most days in a calendar year.

This act is similar to HCS/HB 2722 (2026).
OLIVIA SHANNON

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 1612
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR WASHINGTON.
5653S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 173, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to liaisons for vulnerable
students at public institutions of higher education.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 173, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1
one new section, to be known as section 173.2542, to read as 2
follows:3
173.2542. 1. This section shall be known and may be 1
cited as the "Success for Homeless and Foster Youth in 2
Higher Education Act". 3
2. As used in this section, the following terms mean: 4
(1) "Foster youth", any individual in the care, 5
custody, or guardianship of the children's division of the 6
department of social services in the foster care program for 7
any six of the seventy-two months immediately prior to such 8
individual's eighteenth birthday; 9
(2) "Homeless youth", any individual under twenty-five 10
years of age who has been verified, at any time during the 11
six years prior to such individual's enrollment in an 12
institution, as a homeless child or youth as defined in 42 13
U.S.C. Section 11434a(2) by at least one of the following: 14
(a) A governmental or nonprofit agency that receives 15
federal, state, or municipal funding to provide services to 16
SB 1612 2
homeless persons or that is otherwise sanctioned to provide 17
these services by a homeless continuum of care organization; 18
(b) An attorney appointed by the court to represent 19
the youth; 20
(c) A local education agency liaison for homeless 21
children and youth designated as such pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 22
Section 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii) or a school social worker; 23
(d) A human services provider or public social 24
services provider funded by the state to provide services 25
for homeless children and youth, including health services, 26
mental or behavioral health services, substance use disorder 27
services, or public assistance or employment services; 28
(e) A law enforcement officer designated as a liaison 29
to the homeless population by a law enforcement agency or 30
department within the state; 31
(f) The director of a federal TRIO program or his 32
designee; 33
(g) A court-appointed special advocate (CASA) employee 34
or volunteer; 35
(h) A financial aid administrator; 36
(i) An admissions counselor; 37
(3) "Institution", a public institution of higher 38
education that is subject to the coordinating board for 39
higher education under section 173.005. 40
3. Each institution shall designate a homeless and 41
foster student liaison within such institution's financial 42
aid office. The liaison shall be responsible for applying 43
the provisions of the federal Higher Education Act as set 44
forth in 20 U.S.C. Section 1070, et seq., pertaining to the 45
independent student status and financial aid eligibility of 46
current and former homeless youth and foster youth, and 47
shall assist these students, both current and prospective, 48
SB 1612 3
in applying for federal and state financial aid and other 49
assistance for which they may be eligible. 50
4. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the 51
contrary, an institution may grant resident status to a 52
student who resides in Missouri and is nineteen years of age 53
or under at the time of enrollment, regardless of how long 54
such student has resided in the state, if such student is 55
determined to have been homeless at any time during the two 56
years immediately preceding such student's enrollment. 57
5. In order to ensure that current and former homeless 58
youth and foster youth have access to stable housing, an 59
institution that offers student housing may develop a plan 60
to provide that students who are homeless youth or foster 61
youth have access to housing resources as needed during and 62
between academic terms. The plan may grant such students 63
first priority for housing placement and provide that they 64
be placed in the institution's housing facility that remains 65
open for occupation during the most days in a calendar year. 66
✓