Bill
HB 1907
Prohibits disqualified offenders from any role in child-serving nonprofits and requires annual Missouri Sex Offender Registry checks to certify no disqualified individuals particip
Purpose
- Establishes the “Child Protection Through Nonprofit Integrity Act” to reduce the risk of sexual offenses involving minors by prohibiting disqualified offenders from participating in child-serving organizations and by requiring heightened certification and oversight for these organizations.
- Includes an emergency clause, making the act effective upon passage.
Key Definitions
- Child-serving organization: Any nonprofit corporation, cooperative, unincorporated association, church, religious institution, charitable organization, youth program, camp, sports league, school-affiliated group, mentorship program, after-school program, child care program, community center, arts program, counseling program, or any entity registered with the secretary of state that serves minors.
- Covered individual: Any person who participates in, influences, or has access to operations/governance/activities of a child-serving organization. This includes incorporators, organizers, directors, officers, employees, contractors, agents, advisors, mentors, coaches, teachers, volunteers, or similar roles.
- Disqualified offender: Any person required to register under Missouri law for sexual offenses involving a minor (including attempts, conspiracies, or solicitations).
Prohibited Conduct
- Disqualified offenders may not form, organize, operate, manage, advise, volunteer with, work for, contract with, or participate in any capacity in a child-serving organization. Prohibitions cover in-person, remote, online, intermittent, advisory, or informal participation.
- Child-serving organizations may not employ, appoint, elect, contract with, or permit the participation of a disqualified offender as a covered individual.
Certification and Compliance
- Secretaries of State (SOS) registration requirements:
- All child-serving organizations must file a certification upon registration and annually thereafter.
- Certifications must be under penalty of perjury and must affirm two things:
1) No covered individual is a disqualified offender.
2) The organization has conducted a registry check of all covered individuals through the Missouri Sex Offender Registry (established under §589.400).
- The SOS must reject any filing, registration, or renewal that lacks the required certification.
- Knowing submission of a false certification constitutes a Class E felony.
Penalties for Violations
- Violations by a disqualified offender:
- First offense: Class D felony.
- Subsequent offenses: Class C felony.
- Courts cannot grant a suspended imposition of sentence for violations.
- Violations by organizational leadership:
- A director, officer, pastor, supervisor, or other person in authority who knowingly permits a disqualified offender to participate is guilty of a Class E felony.
- Such individuals are prohibited from serving in any fiduciary, supervisory, or volunteer capacity in any child-serving organization for 10 years.
- Civil/administrative remedies:
- The Attorney General has concurrent jurisdiction to investigate and may seek:
- Civil penalties up to $50,000 per violation.
- Proceedings to suspend or dissolve the entity for knowing or repeated violations.
- Removal of the disqualified offender from the organization.
- Injunctive relief to prevent future violations.
- Organizations that knowingly violate the act become ineligible for state grants, tax credits, or public funding for 5 years after the violation finding.
Effective Date
- The act contains an emergency clause, making it effective immediately upon passage and approval.
Sponsorship and Legislative History
- Primary Sponsor: Representative Steinmeyer
- Co-sponsors: Jo Doll, Jeff Myers, Mike Steinmeyer
- Action timeline (highlights):
- Read Second Time: January 8, 2026
- Read First Time: January 7, 2026
- Prefiled: December 1, 2025
Potential Impact
- Enhanced screening and accountability for individuals connected to child-serving organizations.
- Increased administrative burden on organizations to perform and attest to sex-offender registry checks.
- Potential reduction in participation of individuals with sexual offenses involving minors within youth-serving settings.
- New penalties and civil remedies provide both criminal and administrative avenues to address violations.
- Financial impact on organizations could arise from compliance costs and potential loss of state funding following violations.
Notes
- The bill defines a broad scope of “child-serving organizations,” encompassing a wide range of entities that interact with minors.
- The emergency clause signals a priority placement of child protection measures, but the broader policy changes will still interact with existing Missouri sex-offender registry and nonprofit regulatory frameworks.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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