Coalition of Missouri businesses attempting to override new minimum wage, paid sick leave laws

Plus, a Missouri state senator-elect's promise to felonize migrants via a bounty program.

Almost immediately after voters in Missouri signed onto Proposition A, a referendum that would state-wide increase of the minimum wage and mandatory paid sick leave, a collection of business associations announced they would explore ways to subvert the November results. The coalition is crying election fraud despite an overwhelming 58% of voters approving the measure.

The wage increase — which will initially be $13.75 an hour before escalating to $15 per hour by 2026 — becomes active next month, while the paid sick law will go into effect in May. 

“In the coming weeks, Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri Grocers Association, the Missouri RestaurantAssociation, the Missouri Retailers Association and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) will explore all available options, including possible legal action, to ensure that unemployment rates and cost of living are not adversely impacted by this proposition,” a Nov. 6 statement released by the coalition read, published the day after Election Day. 

Now the group is making good on their posturing. Last Friday, they filed a petition for review with the Missouri Supreme Court. The lawsuit lists Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, both Republicans, as the defendants. 

“While Proposition A is bad policy and will have extreme and detrimental effects on Missouri’s businesses, that is not the basis of this action,” the petition reads. “Instead, the election irregularities and the constitutional violations are so significant that the election results must be overturned and Proposition A must be declared invalid.”

The suit’s argument is that the Missouri State Constitution explicitly requires ballot measures to be concerned with a single issue. Should the suit fail, the pro-business alliance could seek to use the Missouri Legislature to either vacate or water down Proposition A. 

Liberal advocacy groups that fought hard for the measure have called the lawsuit a cynical ploy. 

“These special interest groups could have raised their legal concerns at any other point in the process before the measure appeared on the ballot. The voters have overwhelmingly approved the measure,” Marilyn McLeod, president of the League of Women Voters of Missouri, explained in a statement on Monday. 

“We are appalled that judges will be asked to overturn the wishes of the Missouri electorate, but we are confident that they will see that wages and benefits are clearly part of the same subject on compensation and will reject this lawsuit.”

Missouri Republican proposes bounty hunter program to capture undocumented immigrants

By Richard Eberwein

Missouri state Sen.-elect David Gregory (R) has introduced a series of extreme anti-immigration provisions, including establishing a bounty program to help locate illegal immigrants.

Although Gregory won’t be sworn into the Missouri state Senate until Jan. 8, the Republican proposed a law called Senate Bill 72, which would implement a series of harsh anti-immigration provisions. The bill prohibits an “illegal alien” from being present in the state of Missouri. If a person is captured, they would be charged with a felony and serve prison time without probation or parole.

The bill also calls for the Department of Public Safety to develop a database for reporting illegal aliens via hotlines, e-mail and a reporting portal. Anyone who makes a report in which leads to an arrest would receive $1,000 as a reward. The same department would create the “Missouri Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program,” which certifies applicants to become bounty hunters to catch undocumented immigrants.

Gregory bragged about the bill protecting U.S. citizens in a video posted on X last Friday, telling President Donald Trump that “Missouri will have dangerous illegal immigrants gift-wrapped and ready for deportation.”

Gregory also reposted a comment made by conservative talk show host Jesse Kelly, who said he would be waiting in the parking lot of a Home Depot with a taser and zip ties.

St. Louis attorney Javad Khazaeli, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prosecutor, called the bill “Nazi Germany stuff” and told First Alert 4 “it’ll take one week for a Puerto Rican who has been harassed.”

Gregory served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2017-23, where he also co-sponsored legislation to ban abortion.