Education, childcare, and community investment drove Rep. Fogle’s 2025 legislative priorities
The Springfield Chamber welcomed State Representative Betsy Fogle (District 135) for an Inside the Issues conversation highlighting her priorities and key takeaways from the 2025 Regular and Special Legislative Sessions. Fogle, who represents northeast Springfield and serves as the ranking minority member on the Missouri House Budget Committee, offered a candid overview of key policy developments, regional funding priorities, and insight into what the community can expect moving forward.
A Springfield native and Missouri State University graduate, Fogle was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2020. Before entering public office, she spent several years working in public health at Jordan Valley Community Health Center and currently serves as the AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison for United Way of the Ozarks. Throughout her time in the legislature, Fogle has focused on supporting public education, improving childcare access, and advocating for working families.
Fogle called the 2025 session the most productive and collaborative she has experienced to date. Lawmakers from both parties worked together to pass key budget items and meet critical deadlines. However, she shared that momentum stalled in the final days of session when the House failed to vote on a $513 million capital investments bill that had already passed the Senate. The bill (House Bill 19) included several projects that would benefit the Springfield area.
“That bill had $1.5 million for the Boys & Girls Clubs, funding for Drury University, the Discovery Center, Innovate SOMO... all of it is gone,” she said. “That was a very significant thing. That was $513 million dollars’ worth of projects.”
Among this year’s legislative successes, Fogle highlighted the full restoration of funding to Missouri’s K–12 foundation formula, which she noted had been left out of the governor’s initial proposal.
“I think that one of the things that makes this country the greatest is that all children, regardless of zip code, have access to a free and quality public education,” Fogle said. “If we are going to invest in our schools, we should do it in the systems that serve the needs of every single child.”
She also noted improvements in how the state reimburses childcare providers. The new budget shifts to enrollment-based payments and faster reimbursement timelines, changes she believes will better support providers serving foster children and low-income families.
“Some of these things really are the difference between our small childcare providers keeping their doors open or not,” Fogle shared.
In addition, Fogle discussed Senate Bill 3, which passed during the recent Special Legislative Session, and established property tax caps for certain counties. Greene County was excluded from the bill, which raised questions about consistency and fairness.
“Everyone’s for local control until it’s something that they don’t like,” she stated.
As the event concluded, Fogle encouraged attendees to consider not only what legislation has passed, but what creates impact for families and communities.
“We can sit in that room and talk to each other all we want,” she continued. “But if my constituents back home aren’t feeling the fruits of our labor, then it was all for naught.”
As Missouri moves forward in the new fiscal year, the Chamber’s public affairs team will continue to monitor budget decisions, advocate for business-friendly policies, and keep members informed about impacts to the Springfield area. NOTE - the new fiscal year began on July 1, and Governor Kehoe released several vetoes and expenditure restrictions impacting Springfield regional projects and organizations.
For questions or more information about the Chamber’s advocacy efforts, contact a member of our Public Affairs team.
Thank you to your Presenting Sponsor Hahn | DeBoef Government Relations for supporting this event!
