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Entrepreneurs' Rights Act bill would exempt small and seasonal businesses from new paid-leave and wage mandates; committee hears mixed views
Summary
Representative Verneti's House Bill 546 would exempt businesses of 50 or fewer employees and seasonal operations from certain minimum-wage and paid-leave mandates adopted by voters. Supporters — including restaurant, retail and small-business groups — said the bill would shield fragile seasonal operations and small employers. Opponents urged the
Representative Verneti presented House Bill 546, titled in committee as the "Entrepreneurs Rights Act," proposing exemptions for small businesses (50 or fewer employees) and seasonal businesses (26 weeks or less) from aspects of recently passed labor measures, including rising minimum wages and paid-leave requirements.
"Businesses are either going to have to cut jobs and push more work onto the remaining employees, pass these additional costs onto consumers, or... decide it's time to do something else," Representative Verneti said in opening remarks, urging the committee to consider protections for small and seasonal enterprises.
Why it matters: The bill responds to Proposition A — the ballot measure that raises Missouri's minimum wage and creates a paid-time-leave mandate — which passed in recent elections. Supporters of HB 546 argued the…
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