Missouri Legislative Session Hits Roadblocks

Date: May 02, 2017

 

This session started out as a promising one for small business owners, but has hit snags in recent weeks.

Budget discussions have been heated, and animosity between the House and Senate has reached a fever pitch. Sen. Rob Schaaf requested that each House bill on the Senate calendar be removed, while the House is working on their own bills instead of taking up any of the Senate’s. All of this means that, at this writing, the final weeks of session could be completely thrown off. The state budget must be completed by May 5, but could be slowed down, requiring a special session to get it finished.

Another casualty could be House Bill 1194, which prohibits localities from setting a minimum wage higher than the state’s base wage. This bill responds to the recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling that said local governments could establish their own minimum wages, which paves the way for a confusing patchwork of ordinances that makes it difficult for small businesses to operate.

Meanwhile, organized labor’s efforts to fight back against the right to work legislation signed into law earlier this year continue. Opponents of right to work legislation are collecting signatures in order to put the new law before voters for an up or down vote. To call for this referendum, enough signatures must be collected to equal 5 percent of voters from two-thirds of the state’s congressional districts by Aug. 28, the day the law would otherwise go into effect. While this wouldn’t implement a constitutional change to the law—so legislators could pass it again—right to work opponents are hoping, if successful, it will send a message to state lawmakers.

Related Content: Small Business News | Economy | Missouri

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