Click on the underscored bill number to see the details and status. Contact your legislator or the bill sponsor to register your opposition or support. Full texts are available from the links. General Assembly adjourns 5/16.
SB594 (HB34 Billington) Jamie Burger [R] Ten Commandments. Requires posting of the Ten Commandments in every public or charter school classroom in Missouri. Hearing held 3/25, S Education Committee. Opposition to this bill, featuring comments by our Board member Rev. Bart Tichenor and other opposition speakers that were organized by Bart and Board member Rev. Brian Kaylor was featured on the front-page story in the March 26 issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Email the Senate Education Committee and the President Pro Tem. Executive session on 4/2 postponed.
SB681 Jill Carter [R] Pregnancy Center Diversion. Allows taxpayers to satisfy 100% of their income tax obligation up to $50K per year by donations to “pregnancy resource centers”, organizations that oppose abortion. Referred to S Economic and Workforce Development Committee.
HB75 (SB739 Schnelting) Cathy Loy [R] The “Missouri Religious Freedom Protection Act”. Exempts religious meetings from closure due to pandemics, for example. Voted “Do Pass” 10-4 in the HCS Committee. Hearing held 3/4. Sent to General Laws Committee.
HB77 Cathy Loy ]R] “The Missouri Parental Choice Tax Credit”. This another voucher proposal, which would allow parents to take a tax credit for expenses involved in the education of a student in private schools. HCS reported Do Pass (H) – AYES: 10 NOES: 5
HJR54 Melanie Stinnett [R] Negates the constitutional right to abortion, except for rape or incest, and has 12-week limit. Referred to House Children and Families Committee. This may be the vehicle under which the repeal would be enacted, combining and subsuming HJR’s 9, 14, 30, 31, 47, 59,63, 73, and 97, HBs 163, 194, 195, 429, 581, 919, 1119, 1246, 1304, 1367, 1474, 1581, and SJRs 5, 8, 9, 17, 23, 25, 29, 33, 41, 52, and 55.
SJR5 Rick Brattin [R] This is a proposed constitutional amendment that would supersede the “right to abortion” amendment that was passed in 2024. Referred to Senate Family, Seniors, and Health Committee. No action since February 6.
HB195 Brian Seitz [R] and HB119 Holly Jones [R] “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act”. Referred to House Rules – Legislative Committee. Reported “Do Pass”, Vote 6-3. Senate second read and referred to S Families, Seniors, and Health. House roll callin list for third reading: Y 109, N 32, NV 9, Abs 12
SB119 Mike Moon [R] Outlaws “chemical abortion” by making possession of relevant chemicals illegal and their use a felony. Referred Family, Seniors, and Health Committee. No action since 1/23.
SB118 Mike Moon [R] combined with SB49 Rusty Black [R] Authorizes “volunteer” chaplains in public schools. We testified against these bills in the Senate Education Committee hearing. Bill Combined w/(SCS SBs 49 & 118). Moribund lately. No House bill filed.
SB195 Rick Brattin [R] and SB 53 Richard West [R]Authorizes 100% deduction for expenses in educating a student in a nonpublic school. SCS Voted Do Pass (w/ SCS/SBs 195 & 53) Education Committee. Substantial impact on the state budget is noted, and 28-3 witnesses in opposition at House Emerging Issues hearing. This is dangerous and potentially budget-breaking bill.
SJR8 Mike Moon [R] Confers personhood on fetuses, from conception. This would become a constitutional amendment. Referred to Families, Seniors, and Health Committee. Voted “Do Pass” 3/5
SB77 Adam Schnelting [R] The title of this bill implies that it is about “concealed carry” of firearms on public transit, but includes ambiguous language about the situation in churches. Reported “Do Pass” by House Rules-Administrative Committee. Still on Informal Bills for Perfection. HB328 Tim Taylor [R] is the House version of this proposal, and could be the vehicle that crosses the finish line. It also has the provision about guns in churches.
Abortion The voter-approved constitutional amendment that passed in November 2024 is the target for about a dozen Republican bills that would repeal it; three of them are linked above. The House bill to be voted (4/14-18) would allow abortion in medical emergencies and when fetal anomalies are detected, as well as in rape or incest cases in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. It would also clear the way for the prohibition of other abortions through court action. After the expected House action, it would have to be approved by the GOP-controlled Senate in order for the proposal to appear as a constitutional amendment on the ballot later this year or next.
More to come.
Contacts for Missouri legislators can be found at Missouri.gov.
The 2025 Summit for Religious Freedom was in Washington DC, April 5-7. Four members of our Board attended, enjoying and learning from presentations, videos, and discussions with fellow AUers and political figures in Washington. The last day of the event was largely consumed by visits by with our Senators and Congresspersons, informing them our views on church/state issues. April 4 also coincidentally overlapped with a protest march at the Washington Monument, in which many of our conference attendees participated. The photo above was taken before the crowd of over 45,000 had really assembled.
Inside the movement to redirect billions of taxpayer dollars to private religious schools.
Our Annual Picnic
held September 29 featured our guest, Pulitzer Prize-winning Tony Messenger, columnist of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the popular singer, Laka, with her band! We had over 60 people in attendance, and everybody had a wonderful time.
Our Board Member (also AU national treasurer), Brian Kaylor, is coauthor with Beau Underwood of a new book about religious freedom in America. The full title is “Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism”. It provides the AU perspective on the alarming growth of Christian Nationalism. Its thesis is that Christian Nationalism is not just a recent aberrant creation of the right wing, but a consequence of years and decades of encroachment on religious freedom by organizations that are often viewed as benign, the “apple pie” denominations such as the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others. The narrative is very up-to-date, but also provides the history of the foundational events that have led to our current uncomfortable situation. The book is published by Chalice Press and is available everywhere.
