JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers advanced a Right-to-Work measure to the senate today, leaping a major hurdle from last year and placing responsibility for the legislation squarely on the shoulders of the Missouri Senate.
A committee substitute bill combined nearly identical Right-to-Work legislation from Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, and Rep. Bill Lant, R-Bella Vista.
Republicans bounded into the legislative session with labor law on the mind, advancing Right-to-Work and “paycheck protection” measures through committee within the first few weeks of the year. Last year, House Republicans failed to move Right-to-Work through the lower chamber despite a massive supermajority. This year with an even larger majority, Republicans moved Burlison and Lant’s legislation by a vote of 91-64-2.
Eyes now turn to the Senate, where Republican labor legislation never got off the ground last year as Republicans and Democrats brokered a broad deal to advance other majority priority measures in exchange for leaving Right-to-Work and paycheck legislation off the table.
“Right-to-Work will come to Missouri in some point and time, I think it’s inevitable,” said House Speaker John Diehl, R-Town and Country. “So much of our state’s commerce is centered on the borders of our state. If you look at our neighboring states Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, are all Right-to-Work states. Illinois and Kentucky are the only ones that are not…It’s important to give workers the opportunity to decide what kind of work environment they want to work in.”
The debate marked the second day that lawmakers discussed RTW on the floor.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
