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New paid sick leave requirement targeted by Missouri Republicans

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missouriindependent.com – Rudi Keller – 2025-02-20 06:30:00

New paid sick leave requirement targeted by Missouri Republicans

by Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent
February 20, 2025

Worries that “slackers” may take advantage of Missouri’s new law requiring most employers to give workers paid sick leave isn’t a good enough reason to repeal it, a Democratic lawmaker said Wednesday.

In November, voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative petition called Proposition A that requires employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year to provide at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 15 workers must allow workers to use at least 40 hours per year, with larger employers mandated to allow at least 56 hours.

During a House committee hearing Wednesday, Democratic state Rep. Steve Butz of St. Louis challenged Republican state Rep. Sherri Gallick to back up her argument that employees can’t be trusted to use paid sick leave only for the reasons allowed by the law.

“Under the mandated sick leave, potential abuse is nearly impossible to address,” Gallick, a Republican from Belton, told the House Commerce Committee. “Employers cannot ask an employee why they were absent, leaving them vulnerable to lawsuits for merely inquiring.”

Only workers employed under a fixed-term contract are exempt from Missouri’s at-will employment rules.

While the mandate created in Proposition A prohibits employers from firing workers who use the leave, Missouri law doesn’t require employers to give any reason for discharging a worker.

“My hunch is, if you’re a slacker, you’ve been calling in sick already, and this is an at-will state, and I’ve already fired you,” said Butz, who owns an insurance agency.

Proposition A also increased the state minimum wage. It was set at $13.75 on Jan. 1 and will increase to $15 an hour on Jan. 1, 2026. After that, it will be adjusted for inflation, as it has been since 2007.

Gallick is sponsoring a bill to repeal the paid leave law, delay the $15 minimum wage to 2028 and repeal the provision indexing it to inflation.

Gallick’s bill, as proposed, would have delayed implementation of the paid leave provisions from May 1 to Jan. 1. During the hearing, she presented a substitute with all the provisions she wants to enact.

That change brought some questioning from fellow Republicans who wanted to know why she didn’t include all the things she wanted in the bill when it was filed.

“Was this House committee substitute your original intent?” asked Rep. Don Mayhew, a Republican from Crocker.

“Yes,” Gallick replied.

“Then why didn’t you just do that bill instead of this bill that changes a few dates?” Mayhew asked.

Gallick said she filed it to get it in line for a hearing, then listened to businesses in her district to determine what was most important to them.

“That is why I kind of had a kind of a vague bill in the beginning,” Gallick said.

Mayhew said he doesn’t oppose some of the changes but wasn’t pleased with the way it was delivered.

“I’ve never seen one to be this big of a difference between the filed bill and the House committee substitute,” Mayhew said.

Gallick’s bill is one of several being considered in the commerce committee that would alter the terms of Proposition A. There are bills to exempt employers with 50 or fewer workers from the new minimum wage, to limit application of the new minimum wage to workers 21 and older and to repeal the inflation adjustment.

The campaign to pass Proposition A drew no large-scale opposition prior to the vote. But a court challenge filed in early December by major business advocacy groups asks the Missouri Supreme Court to invalidate the vote. The court has set the case for arguments on March 12.

Many of the same groups involved with the lawsuit — Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri Grocers Association and others — are backing the bills to change Proposition A.

Ron Berry, a lobbyist for Jobs with Justice, said the challenges should have come earlier. 

“When the petition is first certified for circulation, there’s an opportunity to challenge that ballot summary. That didn’t happen,” Berry said Wednesday. “When the petition signatures are turned in and the initiative is certified for the ballot, there’s an opportunity to challenge the signatures. That didn’t happen. None of these challenges started coming until after the voters approved this by 57%.”

Kara Corches, executive director of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said businesses are worried about language barring employers from attempting “to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of, or the attempt to exercise, any right” to paid leave.

The language creates a potential liability that has employers worried about “trial attorneys getting rich off of their backs.”

The paid leave mandate opens the door for other requirements, she said.

“This is a very slippery slope,” Corches said. “Once we start on this, it’s minimum wages, it’s paid sick leave, what’s next? Is it the dress code in your workplace? Is it the days that you’re allowed to be closed?”

Committee Chairman David Casteel, a Republican from High Ridge, said he intends to work through the week to develop a bill that both businesses and advocates defending Proposition A can accept.

“It has never been my intent to overturn the will of the people,” Casteel said. “I just want to create a product that will be agreeable and compromised by both the employee and the employer.”

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Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

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Ex-Manchester police captain sues city, claims he was forced to resign

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fox2now.com – Joey Schneider – 2025-07-10 13:23:00

SUMMARY: Craig Smith, former captain and deputy chief of the Manchester Police Department, filed a lawsuit claiming he was coerced into resigning in July 2024 without due process amid a city investigation. Smith alleges city officials, including the mayor and city manager, pressured him by threatening criminal charges despite the investigation focusing on minor, non-criminal leadership issues. He claims he was denied a chance to defend himself and that officials damaged his reputation by telling prospective employers he resigned “under investigation.” Smith seeks compensation for lost wages, emotional distress, and harm to his career. The city plans to defend the lawsuit.

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Kathy Kaiser returns with some film reviews of some new releases

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www.youtube.com – FOX 2 St. Louis – 2025-07-10 10:15:59

SUMMARY: Kathy Kaiser reviews new releases, starting with tonight’s Cardinals vs. Nationals game, hoping for a strong batting performance in hot weather. She discusses the new Superman film, directed by James Gunn from St. Louis, praising David Corenswet’s portrayal though missing more Clark Kent focus. The film introduces many characters for the evolving DC Universe, earning 4 out of 5 popcorn. Kathy also highlights a Nat Geo documentary on Steven Spielberg’s filmmaking challenges, rating it 5 out of 5. The documentary, co-produced by Amblin, offers a compelling behind-the-scenes look and streams on Disney Plus and Hulu. More reviews to come.

ST. LOUIS – Looking for a new movie to watch? Kathy Kaiser shares her thoughts on new releases such as Superman, The Better Sister, and Jaws @ 50, an anniversary celebration and re-release of Jaws (1975).

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Missouri Education Commissioner unwraps vision for state education department

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missouriindependent.com – Annelise Hanshaw – 2025-07-10 07:00:00


Missouri Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger, after a year in her role, outlined her priorities during a State Board of Education retreat. She emphasized the need to overhaul support for “chronically low-performing schools,” criticizing the current “cookie cutter” approach and calling for customized, comprehensive intervention plans. Board member Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge highlighted the benefits of hands-on assistance seen in Illinois. Eslinger also addressed federal challenges, proposing centralized management of federal programs. She stressed improving data systems for better education transparency and enhancing public communication, including hiring a new communications director. Eslinger requested annual evaluations for the commissioner role to ensure accountability.

by Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent
July 10, 2025

Missouri should revisit the way it supports “chronically low-performing schools” over the coming year, state Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger said as she unveiled her priorities in a State Board of Education meeting Wednesday.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s current approach is “cookie cutter,” she said, lacking individual supports customized to struggling schools.

“When you have a school district in crisis, there’s not a real plan on how to address that,” Eslinger said. “So we need to have a more comprehensive plan to address that.”

Board member Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge, of Pasadena Hills, underlined the importance of careful intervention.

Westbrooks-Hodge spoke about a conversation she had with a school superintendent who worked in an Illinois district east of St. Louis when it lost accreditation.

“She described an intense, hands-on approach with the state of Illinois walking hand in hand,” Westbrooks-Hodge said. “She asked why that approach wasn’t done with underperforming school districts in Missouri.”

There are also challenges coming from the federal level with “disruption” in the U.S. Department of Education, Eslinger said. The department is “struggling to draw down federal dollars more consistently.”

She suggested “a shift in the way we manage our federal programs,” such as consolidating programs in a centralized application.

The department should also improve its data handling, she said, adding that DESE “needs to be much better and much more efficient in its data system.”

“I don’t know how many times I sat on the Senate floor, and I didn’t have the ability to rebut somebody’s idea of what was happening in public education because we don’t have the data,” Eslinger said.

The department also needs to improve its website and increase connectivity with the public.

There will be noticeable changes in the communications department, she said. Currently, the department is looking for a new director of communications.

“We have been responsive to people who have questions, but we haven’t talked to the state as a whole,” she said.

She has asked the state board to conduct annual evaluations of the commissioner, which the board wasn’t doing when she took office last year.

The board is meeting Wednesday and Thursday as part of a board retreat to reorient members to the expectations and responsibilities of the board. Half of the board are new appointees, and the department has a number of high-ranking employees in new positions.

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Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

The post Missouri Education Commissioner unwraps vision for state education department appeared first on missouriindependent.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents a straightforward report on Missouri’s Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger’s priorities and comments regarding public education challenges without adopting a partisan tone. It focuses on administrative improvements, data management, and tailored support for low-performing schools, avoiding ideological framing or partisan language. The coverage reflects neutral, fact-based reporting, emphasizing practical issues within the education system rather than aligning with a specific political agenda. The inclusion of multiple viewpoints and detailed explanations supports a balanced presentation.

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