Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development
HB3 is Missouri’s fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development and related public higher education institutions. It funds the department’s core administration, scholarship and grant programs, workforce development activities, community colleges, state technical college, public universities, and a range of targeted initiatives. The bill includes major transfers and appropriations for programs such as A+ Schools, Access Missouri, the Academic Scholarship Program, Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grants, Dual Credit Scholarships, veterans and survivors grants, and workforce training and apprenticeship efforts.
The bill also directs funding to specific institutions and projects, including university operations, research centers, telehealth, STEM education, nursing and social work programs, autism services, and several workforce and pre-apprenticeship initiatives. It contains policy restrictions in Parts 2 and 3 that prohibit scholarship funds for students with unlawful immigration status, bar public institutions from charging certain in-state tuition rates to such students, and prohibit state funding for contracts, programs, or positions focused solely on diversity, equity, and inclusion or similar initiatives.
In terms of state law impact, HB3 primarily makes appropriations rather than changing substantive law, but it conditions the use of state higher education funds and scholarship dollars in ways that affect how institutions administer tuition, scholarships, and programming. It also provides flexibility among certain appropriations and includes one-time funding items that do not carry forward into future fiscal years unless reauthorized. The bill’s total appropriations are about $1.45 billion, with most funding coming from General Revenue.
The overall sentiment reflected in the voting history appears supportive but divided. The bill advanced with strong majorities in both chambers, including several conference committee and third-reading votes, but it also drew a consistent minority of opposition, especially in the Senate where many votes were in the 19-31 yeas range with 2-14 nays. That pattern suggests broad agreement on funding higher education and workforce programs, alongside meaningful disagreement over some of the bill’s policy riders and targeted spending decisions.
The main points of contention are likely the immigration-related restrictions and the prohibition on DEI-focused funding, since those provisions go beyond budgeting and impose ideological and administrative limits on institutions. Other possible areas of debate include the bill’s many earmarked, location-specific appropriations for particular schools, nonprofits, and workforce programs, which may have been viewed as either strategic investments or special-interest spending depending on the member. The bill also reflects a tension between broad statewide funding and narrowly targeted one-time projects.
HB3 appropriates state funds for the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, public colleges and universities, scholarship programs, workforce development, and related grants for FY 2026. It affects the administration of scholarship and tuition programs, community college support, university operations, and workforce training initiatives, while also imposing restrictions on the use of funds for certain tuition practices, scholarships for students with unlawful immigration status, and DEI-focused contracts, programs, or positions.
The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment as a major higher education and workforce funding measure, with strong passage margins in both chambers and conference committee adoption. At the same time, the repeated nays in Senate votes indicate a notable minority of opposition, likely tied to the bill’s policy restrictions and earmarked spending. Overall, the sentiment was supportive of the appropriations package but not unanimous.
The most notable contention centers on the policy riders in Parts 2 and 3: the ban on scholarship funds for students with unlawful immigration status, the tuition-related restriction for those students, and the prohibition on state funding for DEI-focused programs or positions. These provisions are likely to draw opposition from lawmakers and higher education stakeholders concerned about access, institutional autonomy, and diversity programming. Additional friction may come from the bill’s many targeted appropriations for specific institutions, cities, and nonprofit programs, which can be viewed as either strategic investments or politically directed spending.