Sports betting and school transfers on the mind of Missouri lawmakers
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
On Wednesday, Missouri lawmakers are set to talk about a couple of bills and one of those subjects includes sports gambling.
One proposed bill would give Missourians over the age of 21, the green light to legally place bets for sports online and in casinos.
Sports betting has been a hot topic for Missouri lawmakers for several years now. State Representative Phil Christofanelli introduced a sports betting bill during the past three legislative sessions.
The bill was then reintroduced by lawmakers in September after it failed during the 2022 regular legislative session.
The bill, which was originally introduced by Representative Dan Houx, pushes for sports betting in the state to be taxed at 10%. In other words, casinos would be responsible for paying a 10% tax on their own profits.
This money would go toward government-funded programs and projects.
Furthermore, the tax percentage would make Missouri competitive with other states which have already legalized sports betting. For example, in Illinois, the state profited $92 million in tax revenue with a 15% tax rate in its second full year of operations.
Among other bills, lawmakers also plan to discuss a bill that would make it easier for students to transfer to a different public school district.
Public schools would be required to offer open enrollment programs which aim at improving teaching and providing students with other opportunities.
According to House Bill 253, any student starting kindergarten, or already enrolled in a public school, can attend another public school in a district where they're not a resident. But only if, that district is also participating in the program. However, before doing so, school districts must declare participation in the open enrollment program by December 1.
According to lawmakers, districts that decide to participate are not required to add teachers, staff, or classrooms to accommodate the number of transfer students. However, districts will have to have a plan in place when transferring a student with special education needs.
In addition to establishing their own standards for transfer applications, schools can also post them online.
