JEFFERSON CITY (Dec. 12, 2024) — In a conversation with Gabrielle Teiner at Columbia’s KMIZ, NFIB State Director Brad Jones discussed the petition filed with the Missouri Supreme Court to overturn Proposition A, which increases the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, requires businesses to provide paid sick leave, and creates new pathways for frivolous lawsuits against employers.

Warning that Proposition A will require small business owners to raise their prices, Jones said:

“I think it’s going to cost a lot more than what the petition says that it’s going to. And I know it’s going to cost small business folks who are going to be forced to raise prices, who we know have been dealing with inflation.”

Jones went on to note that Proposition A violates the Missouri Constitution, which requires the title of the ballot initiative to clearly express its single subject.

“We think it has clearly two subjects in that it deals with both the minimum wage and family leave,” Jones said. “We consider to be two different things.”

CLICK HERE to watch the full interview.

Background: 

NFIB, Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri Forest Products Association, the Missouri Grocers Association, and the Missouri Restaurant Association, filed the petition challenging the results of the November election.

The business coalition is challenging Proposition A on several counts:

• The Missouri Constitution requires ballot initiatives to contain a single subject. Proposition A contains at least two clear, unrelated subjects – minimum wage and earned sick leave.
• The Missouri Constitution requires the title of the ballot measure to clearly express its single subject. Proposition A’s title is unclear and contains multiple subjects.
• The ballot measure’s summary statement and fiscal note summary – an estimate of the ballot measure’s financial impact on state and local governments – are misleading and insufficient.
• By exempting government entities and certain workers, Proposition A violates the Equal Protection Clause.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the petition.