Missouri’s voter-approved paid sick leave requirements and a minimum wage increase are another step closer to being thrown off course. The state House of Representatives has passed a bill that would get rid of the sick leave mandate and delay the $15 per hour minimum wage increase to 2028.

Rep. Sherri Gallick, R-Belton, is the sponsor of House Bill 567 .

“The provisions make it difficult to run a business efficiently and provide adequate customer service,” Gallick said during House approval on Thursday. “The unpredictability threatens the stability of businesses large and small.”

Gallick said businesses are most concerned about the requirement to provide one hour of paid sick leave to employees for every 30 hours worked.

“I was a businesswoman,” said Gallick. “I set pricing. I did forecasting. I did things like this, and I know that the added cost that we’re going to incur is going to make prices go up.”

Rep. John Simmons, R-Washington, is on board with the legislation.

“Businesses are going to go out of business,” he said. “Is that what we want? And then those employees are not going to have any time off…they’ll have all the time off they want – they’re not going to have a job.”

Simmons said the paid sick leave mandate would “decimate” small businesses.

“A lot of the emails and text messages I’ve gotten from my small business community in Franklin County, they’re not so much talking about the minimum wage and some incremental changes on that. Every single one of them talks about the paid leave and how much of a potential disaster that is,” he said.

Rep. Pattie Mansur, D-Kansas City, said Missouri is ranked 34th in its minimum wage.

“No one at any point in time has said to me, this bill will cripple our business,” said Mansur.

Rep. Mazzie Christensen, R-Bethany, said her district overwhelmingly opposed the wage increase and sick leave mandate.

“I think this is one of the most important bills that we actually passed this session, to give our business owners a second chance. This is for protecting our areas, our small businesses, that of our friends and our family,” she said.

Rep. Jaclyn Zimmerman, D-Manchester, said she’s disappointed in the Republican effort.

“Everyone here talks about their commitment to the Lord and religion, and every day I hear those words, and all I am hearing today is we are not going to take care of the less fortunate. We are not going to take care of the poor and we’re not going to take care of the sick,” she said.

Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, is not a fan of the bill.

“Do we want sick people to work in nursing homes? Do we want sick people to work in healthcare? Do we want sick people to work in daycares,” asked Ingle.

Rep. Mark Boyko, D-Kirkwood, opposes the bill’s attempt to overturn the voice of more than 57% of Missouri voters last November.

“This bill mocks every Missourian who has ever signed the back of a paycheck,” said Boyko. “It mocks every Missourian who has ever gotten sick, gotten the flu, gotten Covid, gotten cancer. Passing this bill makes a mockery of the Democratic process itself, which is the purpose of government.”

Rep. Jeremy Dean, D-Springfield, agreed.

“A better name for this bill would’ve been ‘Make the Workers Work While Sick Act,” because that’s what we’re doing,” said Dean.

The measure’s next stop is the Missouri Senate for more debate. The legislature is on spring break next week, so a Senate committee could review the bill after lawmakers return.