The Mood at the Capitol

The frantic pace of change from the President's executive orders is trickling down to Missouri. We are seeing more and more energy being put into efforts that lead back to segregation and Jim Crow. More frighteningly, these efforts are less disguised than ever before. In a hearing last week we heard a State Representative say that the KKK should be allowed on campus so that their ideas could be heard and rejected by the students. Not since the era of segregation has an elected officially so openly suggested that hate speech and racial violence should have an equal footing with social and philisophical debates. This is a frightening time to be a Black Missourian, but we will not be disuaded.

Education

A bill that would allow discrimination on college campuses was introduced again this year. HB875 was voted out of committee last week on a party-line vote. The bill would allow state resources to be spent on student groups that include discriminatory criteria in their membership and leadership requirements. The bill is often portrayed as a religious freedom issue, but the truth is much darker. We argue every year that religion cannot be an excuse for discrimination in public accommodations. The bill now moves on to the House Rules-Administrative Committee for approval before being added to the floor calendar for debate by the full House.

voting rights

Initiative Petition Restrictions

The Senate Elections Committee heard SB22 (Brattin) which would not allow the courts to rewrite inaccurate ballot summaries drafted by the general assembly. The testimony for the bill was overwhelmingly in opposition and we would like to thank everyone who came down and testified against the bill. The biggest concern about the bill from the committee was that this is a clear checks and balances issue, as it makes it harder for the courts to keep the legislature in check. We will continue to monitor and oppose this legislation as it works its way through the process.

On Tuesday, Feb 4th at 8:00, the House Elections Committee will be hearing two identical bills about the IP process. HB551 and HB575 make procedural changes to the IP process that would allow ballot initiatives to be rejected on a more technical basis. These include rules about paper size, ink color, etc. The big issues with the bills are residency requirements and no compensation for petition circulators. We’ve seen this language last year and will continue to oppose it. Since it is a House hearing, people are allowed to submit testimony online if they are unable to attend the hearing in person. Please contact Denise Lieberman or Connor Luebbert if you’d like to come and testify.

Poll Worker Protections

SB 84 (Burger) was heard in the Senate Election committee and received overwhelmingly positive support. It is apparent that this issue has truly become a bi-partisan concern throughout the general assembly. There was little to no opposition and groups from all over the political spectrum testified in favor. Thanks again to everyone who testified in favor of this bill and we are excited to help this bill make its way through the process and hopefully arrive at the Governor’s desk.

This year’s lobby day was a massive success! We had over 120 people come down to Jefferson City and help defend our democracy. Thanks in no small part to our wonderful volunteers who worked overtime to make everything happen, we had great meetings with a huge amount of legislators and our teams did a great job advocating our issues. I want to thank everyone who donated, who showed up, and who worked to make all this possible. We couldn’t have done it without you!

criminal justice

Clean Slate / Expungement

On Wednesday, January 29, SB 19 was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Missouri NAACP and our Clean Slate Partners joined from across the state in support of this bill which will ultimately help with expungement.

Death Penalty Abolition

Unfortunately at the time of this writing, no bills regarding the death penalty have been referred to committees for a hearing. While there are several criminal justice bills beginning to move, they are not directly related to the death penalty. We are continuing to monitor these bills and will notify you if they become a concern.

Omnibus Crime Bills

A key focus of the 2025 legislative session will be working on large omnibus crime bills. These bills are not out-of-place and are generally worked on every year. These bills usually contain input from both parties as they attempt to come to an agreement on what is acceptable or not. These bills are usually good vehicles to try to either hinder the death penalty or abolish it completely. One must be careful when trying to add legislation to these bills as the bad in the bill may outweigh the good. We will continue to monitor the situation and will inform you when we see movement. 

Discrimination

There was a hearing last week on a bill, HB742 that would prohibit state funds from being spent on any DEI program, initiative, or training. This is not the first time we’ve seen the bill. It directly conflicts with a number of other state and federal laws. It is unclear how the sponsors and supporters think the bill will be implemented, but it is clear their goal is to make sure no one has to hear any statement of inclusivity that makes them feel guilty or in any way negative. The hearing was cut short and heard on a different day than the committee normally meets. The bill will likely be voted out of committee on Monday night. 

Senator Patty Lewis introduced a bill that would roll back many of the changes to the Missouri Human Rights Act from 2017. The bill, SB608, may or may not get a hearing this year. However, it is good to see people continuing to push back against the return to segregation.

HEARINGS

Tracking List

https://govwatch.net/report/aXrLkmnWp7



*This list is continually updated and improved. If you have questions, please contact Sharon Geuea Jones at sharon@jonesadvocacy.com.