No Progress Made Over Employment Discrimination Bill

Many Republican lawmakers claim to have high hopes about compromises being made when it comes down to changing and editing discrimination laws in the workplace even though the House and Senate Democrats have promised that they will block the proposals for this new bill, which would change discrimination laws in the area.

The Bills would require that any individual who chooses to sue a prior employee due to wrongful termination must be able to show that discrimination actually took place and was the factor for the employee losing their job. Right now, the law requires that the plaintiffs provide information that shows discrimination was a contributor for the employer’s choice to terminate the employee.

Representative Kevin Elmer says that he is a sponsor for the House version bill. He believes the discrimination standard is preventing jobs from growing, thus resulting in higher unemployment and jobless rates.

The House members have been making great debates against and for the bill since Wednesday. However, no action has taken place yet. Elmer believes that it could take a week or more before movement takes place on the side of the House. Elmer thinks that his proposal would not allow employers to easily discriminate their employees. Elmer says, “No one says that’s something that should occur.” He also says, “In fact, it’s something we should penalize, but at the same time we need to weed out the claims that are marginal, that don’t have any substance to them.”

However, many Democrats of the House and Senate are arguing that the bill is reversing progress that has been made, and took years to be made, for the civil rights of the citizens in the United States of America and in Missouri in particular. The members of the Black Caucus found the bill debate, which took place on the first day of a month devoted to Black History, to be quite offensive.

Representative Steve Webb has said, “This bill was derived in greed, in discrimination.” Webb currently serves as the chairman for the caucus. In the meantime, Senator Maria Chappelle spent most of the day on Wednesday talking about different discrimination cases that have taken place.

A separate senator, Brad Lager, who is sponsoring this bill, has said that he believes it will pass the House and Senate as well. Elmer said he was optimistic and had hopes of meeting with House Democrats to ensure that proposal would be accepted by both sides. Elmer says, “If we can get anything, maybe that’s a small step forward.”

The House Speaker, Steve Tilley, believes that there should be some sort of compromise bill that takes place. Tilley says, “I think if people work in good will, we can all meet half-way.”