SPONSOR: Costlow
This bill updates the powers and duties of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, Chapter 213, RSMo.
This bill adds a definition for "color" to refer to a person's skin color, pigmentation, complexion, shade, or tone, regardless of race.
In addition, this bill amends the definition of "discrimination" by:
(1) Including unfair or differential treatment based upon a person's presumed or assumed color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, or age as it relates to employment, disability, or familial status relating to housing; and
(2) Repealing the word "race".
This bill also repeals all references to race in relation to unlawful housing practice and discrimination in commercial real estate loans.
This bill makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice for a public entity, as defined in the bill, or a private entity to discriminate against any person in the sourcing, bidding, procurement, offering, letting, or engagement of contracts because of color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestry, age, or disability of such person. The bill does not grant preferential treatment to any person because of color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestry, age or disability of such person.
This bill allows the rejection of bids, the refusal to contract, or the termination of a contract if the decision is based upon legitimate factors. Under this bill, it is not an unlawful discriminatory practice for a public entity to comply with additional State or Federal requirements relating to contract procurement.
The bill adds public entity and private entity to the list of individuals and entities that are prohibited from engaging in unlawful discriminatory practices under current law, and repeals references to race.
This bill is similar to HB 1558 (2025).
Statutes affected: