The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 2379 authorizes county sales taxes to fund early childhood education services
Last action · May 4, 2026: HCS Reported Do Pass (H)Sponsor: Cecelie Williams
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
House Bill 2379 allows Missouri counties and certain cities to submit a proposed of up to one-half of one percent to voters to fund early childhood educational services. The collected revenues must be deposited into a special Early Childhood Education Fund and administered exclusively by a designated to improve early childhood program quality, affordability, and access for children aged five and younger.
Local taxpayers face the possibility of a new county-level ranging from one-eighth to one-half of one percent, with proceeds dedicated specifically to subsidized early childhood development and care programs.
- House Bill 2379 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the 103rd General Assembly of Missouri by Representative Cecelie Williams. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Counties
Counties gain the authority to submit a sales tax proposal to voters and administer resulting funds through a board of directors.
Children aged five years and younger
Children gain access to funded early childhood development programs, with priority given to those in financial need.
Early childhood education providers
Providers such as preschools and child care centers become eligible to receive grants, contracts, and funding from the early childhood education fund.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a county impose the sales tax for early childhood services?
Who manages the money collected in the Early Childhood Education Fund?
What types of providers are eligible to receive funds from the early education fund?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
8 actions- May 4, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Reported Do Pass (H)
- Apr 27, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Voted Do Pass (H)
- Apr 27, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Feb 2, 2026HousePublic Hearing Completed (H)
- Jan 22, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Ways and Means(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
Show 2 earlier actions
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 11, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Creation of Dedicated Early Childhood Funds
The bill explicitly carves out exemptions from standard county tax distribution formulas when revenues are utilized for early childhood education services deposited into a specialized fund.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools