Creates new provisions establishing bereavement leave
SB 750 creates a new statutory framework in Missouri law for earned paid bereavement time, while also amending existing paid sick leave provisions in Chapter 290. The bill defines “earned paid bereavement time” as paid leave that accrues at the same rate as earned paid sick time and may be used after the death of a family member or for a range of specified reproductive losses, including miscarriage, stillbirth, failed adoption or surrogacy, and certain fertility-related diagnoses. It sets accrual rules, carryover limits, notice requirements, recordkeeping obligations, and protections against retaliation and interference.
The bill generally requires employers to provide accrued paid bereavement leave beginning May 1, 2026, with different annual use caps depending on employer size. It also allows employers to satisfy the requirement through an existing bereavement policy if that policy is at least as generous and usable for the same purposes. The measure includes confidentiality protections for health-related information, preserves more generous employer policies and collective bargaining agreements, and authorizes enforcement through the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, local governments, and private civil actions.
SB 750 would repeal and reenact several sections of Missouri’s earned paid sick leave law to add a separate earned paid bereavement leave entitlement and to integrate that leave into the existing enforcement, notice, recordkeeping, anti-retaliation, and civil remedy provisions. It would require covered employers to track and provide accrued leave, post notices, retain records for three years, and comply with department or local enforcement actions. The bill affects employers and employees statewide, with different accrual/use limits for employers with 15 or more employees versus smaller employers, and it expressly preserves more generous leave policies, collective bargaining rights, and other laws or agreements that provide greater benefits.
The available context shows no recorded committee testimony or votes, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment in the materials provided. Based on the bill text, the measure appears designed to expand employee leave protections and is framed as a worker-protection and family-support policy. Its structure suggests support for paid leave access, especially in sensitive circumstances involving death or reproductive loss, but the absence of recorded debate means no formal sentiment can be inferred from legislative proceedings here.
The main points of potential contention are the mandate on employers to provide a new paid leave benefit, the administrative burden of accrual, notice, recordkeeping, and enforcement, and the bill’s inclusion of reproductive loss as a qualifying reason for leave. Employers may also object to the private right of action, liquidated damages, and local enforcement authority, while supporters are likely to emphasize the need for protected leave during bereavement and reproductive trauma. Another possible issue is the bill’s interaction with existing employer policies and collective bargaining agreements, although the bill attempts to preserve more generous arrangements and delay application to certain union contracts until expiration.