Jeff Smith for Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY — Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, is encouraging St. Louis students interested in attending college and applying for partial or full college scholarships to attend the annual African American History Month College/Scholarship Fair on Sat., Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the St. Louis Airport Marriott Hotel, located on Natural Bridge Road directly across from Lambert Field.

The college/scholarship fair is sponsored by the Infinite Scholars Program of Missouri and the 4Sho4Kids Foundation. Registration is required and can be made by pre-registering online at http://www.mohela.com/infinitescholar/.

JEFFERSON CITY — Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, was recently named to serve on the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Education by Senate Leader Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph.

The Joint Committee on Education, comprised of seven members of the Senate and seven members of the House of Representatives, reviews and monitors the progress of education in the state’s public schools and institutions of higher education.

JEFFERSON CITY — Senator Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, joined area leaders this week as guest teachers during Teach for America Week in St. Louis (Feb. 9-13). Senator Smith participated in the annual event at Soldan IS High School on Feb. 9.

Teach for America is a national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit to teach for at least two years in urban and rural public schools. The highly successful program was the model for a similar program created by Sen. Smith — the Missouri Teaching Fellows Program — approved by the General Assembly in 2007. The Missouri Teaching Fellows Program is a loan forgiveness program for top high school students who enter Missouri college teaching programs and agree to teach in unaccredited schools as they begin their teaching careers.

JEFFERSON CITY — A Senate panel is considering a bill (Senate Bill 141) proposed by Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, that supports a non-custodial father’s right to challenge paternity judgments in instances where new DNA evidence reveals the petitioner is not the child’s father. The bill is under consideration by the General Laws Committee.

Under the proposed legislation, a father excluded as a child’s biological father through DNA testing could be relieved of child support payments and have criminal non-support records expunged.