51黑料

Over the last few weeks Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked consideration of a proposal to undo the new paid sick leave requirement voters approved under Proposition A in November.

Frustrated Republicans argue raising the minimum wage and requiring employer paid sick leave would be a 鈥渂usiness killer.鈥� Negotiations have repeatedly broken down over the last few weeks.

To encourage action, House leadership has blocked a Democratic Senate bill which would provide tax credits for developers converting vacant office space to residential or commercial. Developers revamping the long-vacant AT&T tower in downtown 51黑料, which many lawmakers have toured, are pushing for the bill.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no point in trying to attract businesses when you鈥檙e telling them with Prop A that it鈥檚 going to be very difficult for (them),鈥� House Speaker Jon Patterson, R-Lee鈥檚 Summit, said while speaking to reporters. 鈥淚 think you鈥檙e doing things that are working against each other, so I don鈥檛 see a point in doing one (addressing vacant buildings in downtown areas) without making sure Prop A is addressed.鈥�

But, the GOP blockade appears to be affecting all bills Senate Democrats have in the House 鈥� whether they are financially or economically consequential or not.

鈥淯ntil something happens on Prop A, there鈥檚 probably not going to be a lot of Democrat Senate bills being placed on the calendar,鈥� House Floor Leader Alex Riley, R-Springfield, said in an interview with the Post-Dispatch. Riley confirmed Democratic bills are being blocked because of an unwillingness to step aside on Prop A.

One such casualty is a bipartisan women鈥檚 health care bill sponsored by Sen. Patty Lewis, D-Kansas City, and Rep. Tara Peters, R-Rolla. It unanimously passed out of a committee but hasn鈥檛 been put on the House calendar for consideration.

Under the legislation, women would be able to pick up a year鈥檚 worth of birth control at one time instead of every few months, easing the burden for those without access to nearby health care providers. Women in 25 states, including Republican-led states like Texas and West Virginia, already have this option.

It also reauthorizes an expired tax credit Missourians can receive for donating to a diaper bank.

In 2024, Missouri ranked out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in women鈥檚 health care access, quality and outcomes, according to the Commonwealth Fund, a more than 100-year-old organization focused on researching health care issues.

Just because a bill fails to move in the Legislature doesn鈥檛 mean the ideas within are dead. At the end of session lawmakers rush to add amendments to other bills to get provisions into law on whatever legislative vehicle possible. But Peters is out of town this week at an event in Arkansas, making it challenging to add provisions of her health care package onto other legislation.

The legislation is Sena