Senator Brian Williams’ Legislative Column for May 1, 2025

May Day!

May Day, also referred to as Workers’ or International Workers’ Day, is designated to commemorate the obstacles and triumphs of the labor movement and working class. The term “mayday” is also an internationally recognized distress call pilots and captains use to alert their cohorts of a potential emergency. On April 29, I made a mayday of my own on the floor of the chamber, where I shared my duress over what I believe were bad faith negotiations and stood in solidarity to protect the will of my constituents and Missouri voters.

What has become all too common in the upper chamber, the Senate Minority Caucus has had to play defense against the majority’s push to undo the will of voters, who spoke loudly and clearly at the ballot box last November when they overwhelmingly passed Proposition A and Amendment 3. This session, we have had to ban together to stop the passage of House Bill 567, which seeks to undo the minimum wage increase and earned sick leave Proposition A guaranteed workers. 

There have also been about a dozen or so bills and joint resolutions filed to overturn Amendment 3 and the right to reproductive freedom it ensured women. A proposal that has gained momentum is House Joint Resolution 73 , which was heard and voted “do pass” by the Senate Families, Seniors and Health Committee on April 30 in front of a packed room of passionate opponents.

Unfortunately, my colleagues and I were not able to stop the changes to ballot measure summary statements in Senate Bill 22 from being signed by the governor on April 24. During negotiations, a provision was added to permit the state’s attorney general to appeal a preliminary junction, or a temporary court order from a judge, before a statute or the Constitution can be implemented or enforced. The Missouri attorney general took advantage of that provision the day after it was signed into law and appealed a Jackson County judge’s injunction that allowed abortion services in Missouri to proceed. 

The Senate Progress and Development Committee I chair held one of its final hearings on April 30 and listened to an interesting proposal to promote fatherhood. House Bill 927 will designate June as “Fathership Month” and establish the Missouri Fathership Project, a grant program and a funding mechanism for family-focused community agencies. The goal of the legislation is to strengthen relationships between fathers and their children, even when they’ve been absent or estranged because of life situations, missed child support payments or the ability to navigate fatherhood.

Missouri’s $49.4 Billion Budget

In the late hours of April 29, the Senate third read and passed a majority of the appropriations bills that will fund the state operating budget for fiscal year 2026. Multiple line items in the proposal will benefit North County and the St. Louis region, so I’m optimistic they will be fully funded after all budget negotiations have been finalized by both chambers.

Welcoming Guests

On April 30, I welcomed a group of students from our community who were at the Capitol to attend the Science Coach event and exhibit their experiments. Under the capable leadership of Jasmine Patel, these children are undoubtedly on their way to successful careers.

It is an honor representing each of you in the Missouri Senate. If you have any ideas to improve our district or questions about legislation, please contact my office at 573-751-4106 or visit my Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Williams.