Next week is Legislative Spring Break, traditionally recognized at the halfway point in Missouri’s legislative calendar. First, we want to thank those who took action these past few weeks, whether by coming to Jefferson City, making calls or submitting testimony. Your efforts helped lead the Rules Committee in not taking action on HJR 53, a bill banning transgender kids from participating in sports.
For the second week in a row, this Wednesday was a tremendously emotional and profoundly personal day for our community. We testified against HB 33 and SB 442, bills criminalizing life-saving and necessary health care for transgender youth. Our champion legislators and allies spoke up in our defense as they differentiated between health care facts from opinions, and highlighting the courage of the trans kids who bravely shared their stories.
In addition to MONA (the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act) being referred to committee in the House, HB 755 and SB 65, both HIV modernization bills, were passed out of their respective committees. And SB 79 passed out of its Senate committee, a bill to expand access to preventive care for HIV/AIDS, by increasing access to HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP). The progress of these bills highlights efforts within the legislature to end the stigma surrounding HIV.
PROMO did testify in opposition to HB 1416, a bill that could rollback access to restrooms for gender-nonconforming people, as well as HB 1282, a bill that seeks to convert all marriages in Missouri to “contracts of civil union.” We will inform you as to how you can engage in these important issues in the weeks to come.
While the Legislature takes a pause next week, we encourage you to make two calls for the Equality Act — a bill that would provide nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people at the federal level — which has passed out of the US House and will have a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. We are on the precipice of enshrining equality into federal law, but only if we all do our part to make sure our Senators hear from us! (email form)
Sen. Josh Hawley
SenatorHawley@hawley.senate.gov
(202) 224-6154
Sen. Roy Blunt
Sen. Blunt’s web contact
(202) 224-5721
In Equality,
Stephen Eisele, PROMO Executive Director
