Legislation

On March 14, Judge Audrey Fleissig, a St. Louis Federal District Court judge, struck down portions of Missouri law protecting the conscience rights of those objecting to paying for contraceptive coverage and abortion drugs in their health plans.

The Missouri General Assembly has passed legislation that would restore several benevolent tax credit programs.

Legislators passed SB 20 and Senate Committee Substitute for SB 15 and 19 on March 13. The original Senate bill was sponsnored by Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield. The tax credit programs

The bill re-established expired tax credit that individuals can claim when making donations to pregnancy resource centers, food pantries and organizations that serve children in crisis situations.

The Missouri House of Representatives on March 12 passed HCS HB 457, which contains broad conscience clause protections for workers in health care and research.

The bill specifies that anyone providing or participating in a medical procedure or research cannot be required to participate or provide services that violate his or her religious, moral or ethical principles that are adherent to a sincere and meaningful belief in God or in relation to a supreme being.

The bill now moves to the state senate for consideration.

WASHINGTON -- The latest proposed federal rules covering religious institutions that want an exemption from the requirement to provide contraceptive coverage in health insurance make it clear that there's no inclination at the Department of Health and Human Services to accommodate for-profit secular corporations the same way as nonprofit religious institutions.

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri House has passed a bill that would reauthorize several "benevolent" tax credit programs, including one that benefits pregnancy resource centers.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO — Legislators heard strong support Jan. 23 for restoring some of the benevolent tax credits that expired last year, and the next day a senate committee moved a bill along for further consideration.

Bills have been filed in the Missouri House of Representatives and the Missouri Senate. On Jan. 24, the Missouri Senate Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee unanimously voted out of committee "do pass" a substitute bill for Senate Bills 20, 15 and 19. All 10 of the committee members voted in favor of the bill.