On May 14, 2025, the Missouri Senate passed a bill (HB 567) repealing the paid sick leave requirement along with a portion of the minimum wage increase included in Proposition A, which voters approved on November 5, 2024. Passage required Missouri employers to allow employees to accrue, and use paid sick leave for qualifying reasons on and after May 1, 2025. Likewise, Proposition A provided an increase to the Missouri minimum wage.
While the legal challenges to Proposition A that were filed in the Missouri Supreme Court were not successful, on May 14, 2025, the Missouri Senate accepted and passed House Bill 567, which repealed the entire paid sick leave requirement in Proposition A. The bill also repealed a portion of the minimum wage increase provision in Proposition A, which based future increases to minimum wage on the Consumer Price Index, beginning in 2027. Minimum wage will still increase to $15 per hour in 2026, but there is no longer an increase set to take effect in 2027 and beyond.
The bill repealing the Missouri Paid Sick Leave provisions will now go to Governor Kehoe for signature, who has expressed support for the bill. Because HB 567 does not contain an emergency clause, the repeal will not become effective until August 28, 2025. In the interim, the paid sick leave provisions under Missouri law remain in force and effect. This means employers must continue to provide paid sick leave benefits in accordance with Proposition A's requirements through August 28, 2025. This is particularly important given the individual right to file a lawsuit seeking legal and injunctive relief and to recover actual damages, liquidated damages at two (2) times the amount of actual damages, and attorney fees and costs.
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