Minimum Wage Increase & Reproductive Freedoms Laws Pass In Missouri

Missouri voters also had a variety of constitutional amendments and a proposition to vote on when going to the polls. These included amendments involving sports betting, the licensing of a casino in the Ozarks, women's reproductive health, election law, court costs to support salaries and benefits for current and former sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys, and circuit attorneys, as well as a proposition to raise Missouri's minimum wage.

Here's how Missouri voters voted on these issues:

Amendment 2 narrowly passes with 50.1% of the vote. The passage of this ammendment will change the Missouri constitution to allow sports betting regulated by the Missouri Gaming Commission and restritct betting to individuals physically located in the state and over 21 years of age. The amendment includes a 10% betting tax on revenues received to be approated for educational institutions in Missouri.

Amendment 3 creates a constitutional right to make descisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives and removes Missouri's ban on abortion, passed with 51.7% percent of the vote. This also allows regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of the patient; requires the government not to discriminate, in government programs, funding, or other activities, against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care. It does allow abortion to be banned or restricted after Fetal Viability except to protect the life of the woman.

Amendment 5 which would have allowed the Missouri Gaming Commission to issue a gambling boat license to operate an excursion gambling boat on the Osage River between the Missouri River and Bagnell Dam failed. 52.3% of voters voted no on this issue.

Amendment 6 which would have levied costs and fees to support salaries and benefits for current and former sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys, and circuit attorneys to ensure all Missourians have access to the courts of justice failed with 60% of voters voting no on this thissue.

Amendment 7 which ammends the Missouri Constitution to specifiy that only United States citizens are entitled to vote, voters shall only have a single vote for each candidate or issue, restrict any type of ranking of candidates for a particular office and require the person receiving the greatest number of votes, for each office at the general election shall be declared the winner passed with 68% of voters voting yes. Thius provision does not apply to to any nonpartisan municipal election helad in a city that had an ordinance in effect as of November 5, 2024, that requires a preliminary election at which more than one candidate advances to a subsequent election.

Proposition A ammending Missouri statutes to increase the state minimum wage beginning January 1, 2025 to $13.75 an hour, with an increase to $15.00 an hour beginning in January 2026 passed with 57.5% of voters voting yes on this issue. Going forward Missouri's minimum wage will be adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index. The law will also require employers with 15 or more employees to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Governmental entitites, political subdivisions, school districts and education institutions are all extmpted from this minimum wage increase.