JEFFERSON CITY, MO — The 2025 Missouri legislative session is over and, once again, the House and Senate majorities revealed exactly who they serve. Instead of respecting what Missourians voted for, conservative lawmakers advanced an agenda that protected power, pleased high-dollar donors and left working people behind.
Lawmakers had the opportunity to reduce costs, safeguard basic rights and uphold the will of the people. Instead, they chose the opposite.
Politicians overturned the will of voters with a new abortion ban and repeal of paid sick leave.
After voters restored abortion rights last year, extremist politicians didn’t back down, they doubled down. A new constitutional amendment banning abortion, again, will appear on an upcoming ballot. This ban is a slap in the face to more than 1.5 million Missourians who voted to enshrine abortion access and full reproductive freedoms in the Missouri Constitution.
Politicians also repealed the right to earn paid sick leave for over 700,000 Missouri workers. More than 1.6 million Missouri voted on Proposition A in November guaranteeing workers have the right to earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
Politicians rigged the system to stay in control.
Instead of making government more transparent, politicians passed legislation that empowers partisan officials to mislead and deceive voters at the ballot box, allowing them to rewrite ballot summary language up to three times, even after courts rule them unlawful and misleading.
The attorney general can now block citizen-led measures before they reach voters. And the ink on the Let the Politicians Lie Act was barely dry before Andrew Bailey exercised his new powers to attack abortion access again, disregarding the clear message Missouri voters sent in November when they supported reproductive freedom at the ballot box.
Politicians protected the wealthy and raised costs for everyone else.
Missouri lawmakers didn’t just choose to ignore the rising cost of living, they actively worsened it. They passed nearly $300 million a year in tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations by exempting long-term capital gains from the state income tax. Millionaires received a break on their stock profits. Working families? Still paying taxes on essential everyday items and everything else that has become more expensive.
This wasn’t about easing anyone’s burden. It was about paying back Republican donors. And while they could’ve done something, anything, to help with household costs, lawmakers instead chose to hike utility bills. They passed a law allowing private electric companies to raise rates based on projected spending rather than actual costs, including construction on projects that haven’t even broken ground yet.
The bottom line.
This session could have focused on making life easier for working families. Instead, lawmakers prioritized and protected the wealthy and ignored those who put them in office. That’s the legacy of this session.
Missourians deserve better.
This release can be viewed online.
About Progress MO: Progress MO is a multi-issue advocacy organization dedicated to amplifying progressive voices and driving meaningful policy change across Missouri. Using cutting-edge online organizing, strategic communications and rapid response media strategies, Progress MO challenges conservative misinformation and ensures diverse perspectives are heard.