Requires schools that receive state funds to give students excused absences for attending scheduled elections with their parents

Plain English Breakdown

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

Requires schools that receive state funds to give students excused absences for attending scheduled elections with their parents

The following summaries of this bill are available: Print All Summaries Introduced Print SB 962 - This act provides that a student enrolled in a school that receives state funds shall not be considered absent for the time such student spends attending a scheduled primary, general, or special election with his or her parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the student.

What This Bill Does

• The following summaries of this bill are available: Print All Summaries Introduced Print SB 962 - This act provides that a student enrolled in a school that receives state funds shall not be considered absent for the time such student spends attending a scheduled primary, general, or special election with his or her parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the student.
• A student may received only one excused absence during each scheduled election.
• Upon his or her return to school, the student shall be encouraged by school officials to demonstrate his or her attendance at the election by wearing an official sticker, badge, or other item indicating that he or she attended the election.
• This act is identical to HB 3201 (2026) and SB 344 (2025), and is similar to a provision in HCS/SB 1351 (2026).

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.

Official Summary Text

The following summaries of this bill are available:

Print All Summaries

Introduced

Print

SB 962 - This act provides that a student enrolled in a school that receives state funds shall not be considered absent for the time such student spends attending a scheduled primary, general, or special election with his or her parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the student. A student may received only one excused absence during each scheduled election. Upon his or her return to school, the student shall be encouraged by school officials to demonstrate his or her attendance at the election by wearing an official sticker, badge, or other item indicating that he or she attended the election.

This act is identical to HB 3201 (2026) and SB 344 (2025), and is similar to a provision in HCS/SB 1351 (2026).
OLIVIA SHANNON

Current Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 962
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR WASHINGTON.
4337S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 167, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to student attendance at
scheduled elections.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 167, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1
one new section, to be known as section 167.1001, to read as 2
follows:3
167.1001. 1. For purposes of this section, the 1
following terms mean: 2
(1) "Election", any primary, general, or special 3
election held to nominate or elect an individual to public 4
office, to retain or recall an elected officeholder, or to 5
submit a ballot measure to the voters; 6
(2) "Parent", a student's parent, legal guardian, or 7
person standing in loco parentis to the student; 8
(3) "School", any school that is funded in whole or in 9
part by state funds, including, but not limited to, a public 10
school or charter school. 11
2. A student shall not be considered absent from the 12
school in which the student is enrolled for the time during 13
which the student accompanies his or her parent when the 14
parent is exercising his or her right to vote in a scheduled 15
election. 16
SB 962 2
3. A student may receive an excused absence pursuant 17
to subsection 2 of this section only one time during each 18
scheduled election. 19
4. A student who accompanies his or her parent when 20
the parent is exercising his or her right to vote in a 21
scheduled election shall be encouraged by school officials 22
to demonstrate his or her attendance at the scheduled 23
election by wearing an official sticker, badge, or other 24
item upon his or her return to school indicating that he or 25
she attended the scheduled election. 26
✓