Missouri’s new paid sick leave requirements have begun but the fight to change those requirements is not over this legislative session.
From mid to late April, State Senate Democrats successfully blocked two attempted votes on a bill that would roll back the paid sick leave rules – eating up the clock for the May 1 deadline to pass and those requirements to begin.
Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, said in addition to passing a state budget, getting back to work on this bill is a priority for Republican leadership in both chambers.
“We want them (workers) to stay home and not come to work and get people sick, but the way in which Prop A does it with the hour-by-hour, with the misdemeanor penalties, that’s not workable. And so, I think what we’ll hopefully get to is something where employees do get the sick leave but do it in a way that’s fairer to employers,” said Patterson.
The measure, known as Proposition A, passed last November with 57.5% of the vote. Prop A will raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2026 and mandates that employees be given one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
“There’s no point to try to attract businesses when you’re telling them with Prop A that it’s going to be very difficult for you,” said Patterson. “You have these sick leave provisions that can lead to criminal penalties. I think you’re doing things that are working against each other.”
Rep. Sherri Gallick, R-Belton (Photo by Tim Bommel, House Communications)
Rep. Sherri Gallick, R-Belton, is sponsoring House Bill 567 to change the paid sick leave requirements. She hopes the legislature will pass her bill before the session ends on May 16.
“I have hope because I know that there are businesses that are reaching out every day,” Gallick told Missourinet. “There’s businesses in the hallway today. I wish that a lot of people would have been more proactive in the beginning. We might not have found ourselves in this spot.”
Is there a middle ground with Senate Democrats? Minority Leader Doug Beck is not showing his cards.
“I don’t really want to get into specifics,” said Beck. “We decided it wasn’t our final offer, so hopefully some things can take place. I would like to see us come to some sort of conclusion. The law is now in effect. People are earning earned sick time, and anything we do at this point, they’d be taking away from people.”
Sen. Doug Beck, D-Affton (property of Missourinet)
Beck said he does not know what to expect.
“I’m just saying I am in good faith negotiations with the other side of the aisle on this. I welcome to have those conversations as we continue on,” he said. “Whether or not we come to a conclusion, I don’t know.”
Whether Republican leadership was waiting for a Missouri Supreme Court decision is unknown. The high court ruled Tuesday that Proposition A’s wording and cost projections are not misleading or inaccurate.
Business groups challenged the ballot measure and made those arguments, along with others.
Gallick calls the law a job killer.
“There’s six neighboring states that have $7.25, that is their minimum wage. If you’re thinking about starting a business, you’re also going to think about trying to make money because that’s why you’re doing it. And if it’s easier to make money in a bordering state, a lot of people might choose to open their business in a bordering state. I want businesses to stay in Missouri,” she said.
The Supreme Court ruling said it does not have jurisdiction to decide whether Proposition A violated the state constitution’s requirements to have a single subject and a clear title. A separate opinion from Judge Robin Ransom said she does not believe the judges can rule on legal arguments about a ballot title’s wording after the election is over.
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