HB 1524 & 2260 Summary

• Establishes the Missouri Youth Challenge Academy to provide residential military-based training and life skills development for at-risk high school dropouts, with rulemaking authority granted to the adjutant general.

• Creates the Missouri Youth Challenge Foundation Fund to support the academy through gifts, donations, appropriations, and bequests, with interest and earnings credited to the fund.

• Provides a three-point preference bonus for state and local government contracts to service-disabled veteran businesses with the goal of awarding three percent of contracts to such veterans.

• Authorizes presentation of multiple new military service medals and ribbons including Legion of Merit, adjutant general staff identification badge, Iraq campaign, Afghanistan campaign, Kosovo campaign, and Vietnam campaign ribbons to Missouri National Guard members and qualifying military personnel.

• Expands voting access for absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters by requiring electronic transmission options for voter registration and absentee ballot applications and establishing 45-day advance ballot printing requirements for federal elections.

• Allows active duty military dependents and dependents of retired military who relocate to Missouri within one year to qualify for A+ Schools Program tuition reimbursement without the three-year high school attendance requirement.

• Permits recipients of the Legion of Merit medal to obtain special motor vehicle license plates bearing the medal's image.