On Nov. 5, 2024, Missouri voters approved Proposition A, which included a new statewide paid sick leave law and an increase to the minimum wage. The paid sick leave requirement is set to go into effect on May 1, 2025, while the $13.75 per hour minimum wage took effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
On March 13, 2025, the Missouri House of Representatives passed a bill (HB 567) that, if enacted, would repeal the paid sick leave requirement and delay the minimum wage increase. However, if passed by the Senate and signed by the governor in its current form, the bill would not become effective until Aug. 28, 2025, after the paid sick leave requirement is set to take effect on May 1, 2025. The bill has now been read twice in the Senate, and a public hearing is set for March 26, 2025.
On March 12, 2025, the Missouri Supreme Court heard oral argument on the constitutionality of Proposition A.
Opponents of the law, mostly business groups, argue that:
- The fiscal note summary to the ballot initiative did not include the costs to state and private businesses or some local governments
- The summary statement failed to notify voters of certain elements of the paid sick leave law
- It included two different subject matters (paid sick leave and a minimum wage increase) in violation of the Missouri Constitution.
Proponents of the law dispute that Proposition A was misleading or violated Missouri's Constitution. They argue that overturning the law would be denying the will of the Missouri voters who voted to approve Proposition A.
The Court's questions focused on whether it has original jurisdiction to rule on the legal challenges or whether the trial courts were the proper venue to hear the matter. A decision should be forthcoming.
Barring extraordinary relief by the Missouri legislature or the Missouri Supreme Court, employers are required to provide written notice to their employees about the paid sick time by April 15. Employers should proceed as if the paid sick leave law will take effect on May 1, 2025, and they are able to provide the required notices by April 15. In the meantime, Jackson Lewis' attorneys will continue to monitor both legal challenges closely.
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