PRESS RELEASE: Senate Progress and Development Committee to Hold Public Hearing on Sen. Keaveny’s Missouri Nondiscrimination Act

Senate Progress and Development Committee to Hold Public Hearing on Sen. Keaveny’s Missouri Nondiscrimination Act

JEFFERSON CITY—The Senate Progress and Development Committee will meet today, Feb. 18, in Senate Committee Room 2 at 2 p.m. to consider Senate Bill 237, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Keaveny, D-St. Louis, also known as the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act. The legislation would bar discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in Missouri.

Under Senate Bill 237, sexual orientation and gender identity would be added to the list of protected categories under the Missouri Human Rights Statutes.

Senator Keaveny explained the legislation expands legal protections to all Missourians so that every citizen in the state has the opportunity to pursue personal success without fear of reprisal from employers based solely on a personal matter.

“There is no justifiable reason a hardworking citizen of this state should be discriminated against, period. This isn’t about extending rights to certain people; it’s about establishing in law the equal treatment of all people,” said Sen. Keaveny. “We often talk about sending messages to businesses, about how we’re a state that’s a great place to locate a company. Let’s send a message to those businesses that here in Missouri, all workers will be treated fairly under the law and need not fear termination because of a lifestyle that has no bearing at all on their job. This legislation is long-overdue.”

Numerous Missouri businesses have indicated their support of this effort. According to a 2013 Small Business Majority Poll, 71 percent of small business owners in Missouri believe the state should have a law prohibiting discrimination against gay and transgender workers.

In 2014, more than 540 businesses from across the state pledged their support for a nondiscrimination law protecting gay and transgender people. These businesses included Fortune 500 companies to small, locally run mom-and-pop stores.

The Senate Progress and Development Committee will meet today, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. in Senate Committee Room 2. The hearing is open to the public.

For more information on Sen. Keaveny’s Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, visit his official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/keaveny.

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