• Legislators listen more closely to constituents - if you are in their district, tell them
• Legislators are interested in personal stories about how the proposed legislation will affect you and your pocketbook - look at the summaries and talking points and think about how the bill will affect you and talk about that in your phone call, testimony or email
• Look at the whole list of Calls to Action and pick the most important to you - we will be responding for months to come - don't get overwhelmed in the first few weeks
  

Citizen Initiative Petitions

Bill #: SCS SJRs 47, 30, & 10

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Would require concurrent initiative petition passage, meaning passage would be dependent on both a statewide majority and a majority of state House districts. Unnecessarily restricts foreign involvement.

Status of the Bill: Placed on the Senate Formal Perfection Calendar for Monday, May 5 at 8:00 AM.

Talking points:  

• Currently measures must pass by a statewide majority which fairly reflects will of ALL Missourians

• Requirements to have a constitutional amendment pass by both a statewide majority and a majority of state representative districts will create a rule by minority, undermining the will of all Missourians

• Requiring a two-condition threshold is unnecessary and cumbersome

• Article VIII, Section 23 of the Missouri Constitution already prohibits contributions from foreign sources; this bill contains unnecessary repetitive language

Link to the summary of the bill: SCS SJRs 47, 30, & 10

Call to action: Contact your Senator using the Legislative Lookup HERE and tell them you OPPOSE this bill.

LWV Position: The League believes responsible government should be responsive to the will of the people. (LWVUS Impact on Issues, 2024 - 2026, p. 11)

Voting Rights

Bill #: SCS/SB 62

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Requires documentary proof of US citizenship in order to register to vote; requires the clerk of each circuit court to provide a monthly list of all persons who identify themselves as not being citizens when called to jury duty.

Status of the Bill: Placed on the Senate Informal Perfection Calendar for May 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM.

Talking points:  

• Getting documents evidencing citizenship can be costly. The bill makes no provision for the state to bear the voter’s cost in securing the required documentation

• It would discourage voter registration and participation and would do little to enhance election integrity

• It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal or state elections in the United States; there is no evidence that unauthorized immigrants, green-card holders, or immigrants on temporary visas are voting in significant numbers

• Audits by election officials and numerous studies reflect that voter fraud by noncitizens is extremely rare

• The penalties for registering or voting as a non-U.S. citizen include imprisonment or deportation. These risks are serious and steep, and our laws already effectively prevent significant unlawful voter registration 

Link to the summary of the bill: SCS/SB 62

Call to action:

Contact your Senator HERE using the Legislator Lookup site and tell them you OPPOSE this bill.

LWVMO Position: The League supports measures that facilitate voter registration..reaffirming opposition to strict voter ID laws: ... ID requirements should not be punitive or costly." (Guide to State Action 2023-2025, pp.16-18)

Reproductive Rights

Bill #: HCS for HJR 73 (this is a House bill now in the Senate)

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Proposes a Constitutional Amendment that would prohibit abortion except in cases of medical emergency, rape or incest, no later than 12 weeks gestational age.  Also contains language regarding gender transition and possible prosecution of medical professionals.  

Status of the Bill: Placed on the Senate Formal Calendar for House Bills on Third Reading for Monday, May 5 at 8:00 AM.

Talking points: 

• This bill repeals the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative which was approved by the voters on November 5, 2024 to allow abortion up to fetal viability

• This bill is in conflict with protections for medical professionals embedded in the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative

• Contains “ballot candy” by adding in language about gender transition surgeries, hormones, or drugs 

Link to the summary of the bill: HCS for HJR 73

Call to action: Contact your Senator using the Legislative Lookup HERE and tell them you OPPOSE this bill.

Links to further reading: HERE and KTVO

LWV Position: The League believes that public policy in a pluralistic society must affirm the constitutional right to privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices. At the 2024 Convention, delegates passed a resolution reaffirming the Leagues commitment to fight for reproductive rights and justice, including bodily autonomy, privacy, reproductive health, and access to contraception and abortion. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024-2026, p. 64-68)

Education

Bill #: HCS SS SB 160 (This is a Senate bill now in the House)

LWVMO FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Short Description: Establishes the "Missouri Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (Missouri CROWN) Act" governing discrimination against protective hairstyles in educational institutions, requires school districts to hire Title VI coordinators to monitor antisemitic discrimination and harassment at public schools and education institutions, and prohibits institutions of higher education from taking adverse action against student associations because of their beliefs or the actions of its leaders. 

Status of the Bill: Placed on the House Calendar for Senate Bills on Third Reading for Monday, May 5 at 8:00 AM.

Talking points:  

• This bill includes provisions which could potentially be used to legitimize discriminatory practices by organizations and limit the free speech of students (sister to HB 875, which the League opposes)

• This bill includes provisions that prohibit antisemitism in public schools and postsecondary educational institutions (HB937) but the definition of antisemitism is controversial

• The bill includes provisions of SB38, the Crown Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hair style (SB38)

Link to the summary of the bill: HCS SS SB 160

Links to further reading: 

WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 04/07/2025

Firearms

Bill #: HCS HB 1175 (this is a House bill now in the Senate)

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Reestablishes the "Second Amendment Preservation Act" (SAPA), which would invalidate Federal laws and regulations that infringe upon the Second Amendment, and prohibit their enforcement in Missouri.

Status of the Bill: Placed on the Senate Formal Calendar for House Bills on Third Reading for Monday, May 5 at 8:00 AM.

Talking points:  

• The law interferes with law enforcement's ability to enforce federal firearms regulations designed to protect citizens, undermining public safety 

• Hinders law enforcement cooperation by disrupting collaboration between state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies, making it more difficult to solve violent crimes 

• Impedes domestic violence prevention by undermining efforts to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers

• While SAPA claims to protect citizens, it may actually expose them to greater harm by interfering with federal gun regulation

• The US Constitution establishes that federal law takes precedence over state law, and therefore, state laws that conflict with federal laws are invalid.

Link to the summary of the bill: HCS HB 1175

Call to action: Contact your Senator using the Legislative Lookup HERE and tell them you OPPOSE this bill.

Links to further reading: HERE

LWV Position: Protect the health and safety of citizens through limiting the accessibility and regulating the ownership of handguns and semi-automatic weapons. (LWVMO Guide to State Action, 2023-2025, p. 60) 

The League supports strong limitations on access to semi-automatic/automatic weapons, enforcement of strict penalties for the improper possession of and crimes committed with handguns and assault weapons. (LWVUS Impact on Issues 2024-2026, p. 179)

LGBTQ Rights

Bill #: SB 100

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill

Short Description: Prohibits amending a birth certificate of an individual where that person’s chooses to identify as a gender different than the birth certificate designation, and further prohibits the amendment of any certificate of birth related to the person’s gender if the gender of the individual was changed for reasons other than a medically-verifiable disorder.

Status of the Bill: Placed on the Senate Formal Perfection Calendar for Monday, May 5 at 8:00 AM.

Talking points:  

• A standard to determine who is transgender or not would be created even though not all trans adults desire undergoing surgery and no transgender minors have access to surgery 

• Would effectively ban transgender youth from accessing appropriate methods of healthcare to affirm who they are 

• According to the ACLU, this is also a breach of privacy; every time a person shows important documents, transgender people would be forced to out themselves

• Every time someone has to show an ID for employment, or to a store clerk, security guard, or TSA agent that fails to match that person’s gender,  they are at risk

• A birth certificate from other states could be changed leading to confusion for individuals born elsewhere but living in Missouri

Link to the summary of the bill: SB 100

Call to action: Contact your Senator using the Legislative Lookup HERE and tell them you OPPOSE this bill.

Links to further reading: PROMO

LWV Position: Secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all. Promote social and economic justice, and the health and safety of all Americans. (LWVUS Impact on Issues, 2024-2026, p.135)

Social Justice

Bill #:  HCS#2 HBS 567, 546, 758 & 958

LWVMO OPPOSES this bill 

Short Description: Modifies schedule of minimum wage increases and provisions related to paid sick leave as approved by voters in November with Proposition A.

Status of the Bill: Remains on the Senate Informal Calendar. 

Talking points:  

• Repeals the provisions of Proposition A that took effect May 1, 2025

• Repeals the schedule of minimum wage increases or decreases that is scheduled for January 1, 2027 and January 1 of successive years

• Repeals provisions of paid sick leave requirements

• Contains an emergency clause for the provisions that are being repealed for paid sick leave

Link to the summary of the bill: HCS#2 HBs 567, 546, 758 & 958

Call to action:

Contact your Senator HERE using the Legislator Lookup site and tell them you OPPOSE this bill.

LWV Position: Secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all.  Promote social and economic justice, and the health and safety of all Americans. (Impact on Issues 2024 - 2026, p. 135)

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