Prop A election results are valid, state Supreme Court says

Paid sick leave will take effect May 1 after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled this afternoon that election results are valid for Proposition A.

The court’s decision was unanimous although Judge Robin Ranson dissented in a separate opinion that she does not believe the court has jurisdiction over postelection ballot title challenges. 

“This court finds there was no election irregularity and the election results are valid,” Chief Justice Mary Russell wrote in the opinion.

Proposition A, which passed with roughly 57.6% of the vote in November, mandates employees in the state be given one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, with enforcement and oversight by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Governmental entities, political subdivisions, school districts, educational institutions and those who work at businesses with less than $500,000 in annual revenue are among exemptions, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the minimum wage and required paid sick leave law was filed in December by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri Restaurant Association, Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Grocers Association, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Missouri Forest Product Association.

The plaintiffs sought to overturn the voter-approved law based on allegations that include several state constitutional violations, such as two subjects included in a single proposition, which is contrary to the requirement of a single subject on ballot initiatives, as well as a misleading and insufficient ballot measure summary.

The state Supreme Court heard arguments in the case in March.

Officials with Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages, which led the Proposition A campaign, argued that minimum wage and paid sick leave fell under the single subject of paid compensation.

In the court’s opinion, Russell wrote, “Because the court lacks original jurisdiction over contestants’ arguments relating to Proposition A’s validity, those counts are dismissed without prejudice.”

Further, in the court opinion, Russell wrote that the summary statement’s sick leave provisions as noted in Proposition A accurately and impartially informed voters that the ballot issue would require employers to provide one hour of sick leave to employees for every 30 hours worked; allow oversight and enforcement; and exempt governmental entities.

Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kara Corches said in an emailed statement that the organization is “deeply disappointed” by the Supreme Court decision.

“While we respect the court’s authority, we believe today’s decision fails to address critical concerns regarding election irregularities and constitutional violations that occurred,” she said.

As part of the new law, employers were required to provide written notice to employees of the paid sick time policy by April 15.

Employers with fewer than 15 workers must allow workers to earn at least 40 hours of paid sick leave per year, with larger employers mandated to allow at least 56 hours. Prop A also raised the state’s minimum wage to $13.75 per hour as of Jan. 1, up from $12.30 per hour. It then increases the minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2026, which will again be adjusted each January based on the consumer price index.

While the court has weighed in, the issue is still being debated in Jefferson City. Through House Bill 567, state legislators are seeking to repeal the sick leave requirement and keep the minimum wage from being annually adjusted in line with inflation in the future. The bill, which was passed in March by the House of Representatives in a 96-51 vote, is yet to receive a vote on the Senate floor as Democrats have been blocking Republican efforts to overturn the law, according to media reports.

Corches said in the statement that it’s imperative that the General Assembly pass HB 567.

“This bill will provide much-needed clarity for business owners struggling with the onerous paid sick leave requirements and give employers the flexibility to tailor workplace policies to meet the needs of their workforce,” she said.