We have been in session 29 legislative days and the days/nights are getting longer.
Last week my Appropriations Committee on General Administration completed work on HB4,HB5, HB12 & HB13 and voted them out to the House Budget Committee. In a bipartisan effort, we were able to save funding for state libraries (again for the 2nd year) of which I was particularly proud.
HOWEVER – Thursday the House passed HB205 of which I am NOT proud. HB205 would make it more difficult for employees to prove discrimination, altering the Missouri Human Rights Act and abrogating certain Missouri Supreme court cases. The argument is that companies need additional protections to come to Missouri to create jobs. The argument against – HB205 makes it easier for companies to discriminate.
I was enormously proud of my colleage, Rep. Sylvester Taylor (D-St. Louis) who stood up on the House floor to speak out emotionally against discrimination.
Taylor, who is African/American, said that the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Kevin Elmer, R-Nixa, who is white, could not understand the impact discrimination has on a worker.
“You don’t get when a woman is being discriminated against,” Taylor said, his voice rising. “You don’t get when a noose is hung over your workplace. You don’t get when a monkey is taped to your lunchbox. I have. It’s not something to laugh about. It’s not funny. He paused and continued, “I have. I have. Not my parents; me.”
“We say that this is a jobs bill, ad it helps companies,” he said. “We cannot help anybody when we protect the people that are committing these egregious acts.”
I tried to amend the bill’s definition of discrimination as did my seat mate, Rep. Jean Peters-Baker (D-KC) but floor debate was cut off. HB205 passed 95-59, picking up 10 GOP votes after Rep. Taylor’s remarks – which will stay with me for a long time.
I voted “NO” as did the majority of the Democratic side of the aisle.