Nixon Vetoes Bill Modifying Missouri Human Rights Act

Gov. Jay Nixon today announced his veto of Senate Bill 188 during a ceremony on the steps of the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis. Unless vetoed, the bill would undermine key provisions of the Missouri Human Rights Act, the Governor said.

“Senate Bill 188 would undermine key provisions of the Missouri Human Rights Act, rolling back decades of progress in protecting civil rights,” Gov. Nixon said. “The bill would make it harder to prove discrimination in the workplace, and would throw new hurdles in the path of those whose rights have been violated. That is unacceptable, and it stops here.”

The Governor said that Missourians “have an obligation to put a stop to discrimination and dismantle barriers of prejudice wherever they exist – in the workplace, in housing or in the public square.”

The bill has drawn criticism from a broad coalition of Missourians, including many disability and civil rights groups. Opponents of the legislation include the Anti-Defamation League; the American Cancer Society; the AARP; the NAACP; Paraquad; the AFL-CIO; the League of Women Voters; the LegislativeBlack Caucus; the Missouri Association for the Deaf; PROMO; the National Alliance on Mental Illness; Missouri Centers for Independent Living; Missouri NOW; the Urban League; theMissouri Association for Social Welfare; the Whole Person; and the St. Louis Clergy Coalition,among others.

“Making it easier for Missouri companies to discriminate against people with disabilities or cancer, against women, older workers and minorities, and against those of different faiths and ethnicities will not help us create jobs or be more competitive in a global economy,” Gov. Nixon said. “To thrive in a global economy and uphold these values that we share, Missouri must be a state that continues to move forward – not backward − when it comes to civil rights and equal opportunity.”

Gov. Nixon urged Missourians to take action to prevent his veto from being overridden by legislators in the final two weeks of the legislative session.

For more information about Senate Bill 188, go to MO.gov.