March 23-30
TL/DR: The 2-Minute Read
Actions to Take Right Now
- Stay Informed + Be Ready: We are in the final seven weeks of legislative session, which means chambers will be moving quickly to pass the budget — a lengthy process. We’ll continue sharing updates, but we need you to stay ready in case we need your support to testify, make noise, or show up for the community.
- Mail in Gas and Meal Gift Cards: Our community is powerful and we see that during every single hearing where we outweigh the opposition every single time. With rising gas prices, we’re asking you to support those that use their voices in Jefferson City by mailing in gas cards that we can hand out to testifiers to offset that expense. You can find our mailing address on our Contact Us page.
Important Updates to Know
- Judge Brian Stumpe upheld Missouri’s new gerrymandered maps meaning 2026 candidates will run in these new districts. The voter-led referendum, organized by People Not Politicians, continues to move forward.
- The House passed the budget to the Senate, which is a lengthy process for the Senate to ensure their priorities match the House’s and the Governor’s.
- We had multiple hearings around anti-trans legislation including a bathroom ban and two drag bans. Our community showed up in power in each hearing despite short testifying time and hostility.
- HB 2536, one of the most egregious bills impacting trans Missourians, was voted out of the House Rules committee. We now wait for it to be referred to the House to see if there is any appetite to debate it on the floor. Stay tuned for next steps.
A Deeper Dive of This Week
There are seven weeks left in the Missouri legislative session. These last weeks are typically relentless under the dome, and it’s crucial we ensure the voices of LGBTQ+ Missourians, and the people who love them, are able to testify and add their voice to defeat dangerous bills. We’re calling on our community to consider making a donation that will help us continue to care for testifiers with gas cards to offsets personal expenses and create care packages after long days.
Judge Ruling: Redistricting
Late last week, Judge Brian Stumpe ruled in the final legal challenge to the Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting, in which the new map will stay in effect while the referendum process plays out — a process led by People Not Politicians. This referendum process means voters will have the opportunity to vote for or against the new maps. However, for now, candidates will run for election in these new districts. Candidates filing for the primary closes this week and PROMO PAC, our political action committee, is working behind the scenes and preparing to endorse candidates who will fight and defend LGBTQ Missourians.
Anti-Trans Legislation + Hearings
We saw a significant amount of energy around trans rights in the legislature last week. We are so grateful to those of you able to join us at dawn for hearings in the Senate and to bring your voices and stories to lift up trans power.
The Senate Families, Seniors, and Health Committee heard HB 2033 (Schmidt) in the same hearing that first heard public testimony on HB 1667 (Seitz), another abortion ban bill. As this was a Senate hearing, HB 2033 which was brought up last, had very little time left for public testimony. Those few who spoke represented our diverse stories and experiences: a trans med student, a trans community leader, and an attorney and social worker. Following the hearing, we helped those who showed up to share their stories meet with committee members in-person or get their written testimony to the offices.
At the same time, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard SB 1476 (Nicola) and SB 1664 (Brattin), both bills that criminalize drag performers if performing in public spaces. Our community partners at Nclusion+ showed up in force to testify as business owners, drag performers, trans people, actors, and educators. The hearing was challenging, but these folks showed up in their power. This same hearing was accompanied by another bill, HB 3146, a bill known as the “Let Politicians Lie” Act, which would stop courts from rewriting illegally misleading ballot language politicians wrote for initiative or referendum petitions.
Between two hearings, our whole movement was represented by community voices in the Senate this day.
The Budget: Legislating Through Harm
While the Senate was holding public testimony, the House was perfecting the budget in order to pass it to the Senate chamber (which they did). One important factor about the Missouri budget is that it legally cannot contain legislation, and the budget the House passed has multiple offenses of “legislating through the budget.”
The focal point for PROMO is HB 2009, the department of corrections appropriations bill, page 22 that says: “No funds shall be expended for any cross-sex hormones, or gender transition surgery undertaken for the purpose of any gender transition.”
All inmates get medically necessary care whether it’s for cancer, diabetes or any other condition. Transgender inmates should be treated no differently. When in the custody and care of the state, it is federal law to provide medically necessary health care, which hormones and sometimes surgery can be. No different than any other bill we advocate on, decisions about medical treatment should be made by doctors and patients — not politicians. When someone is in prison, they don’t lose the right to the medical care they need. Our constitution guarantees that.
Looking Forward
Heading into this week, HB 2536 (Laubinger), was voted out of the House Rules – Administration committee. This is one of the most egregious bills attempting to severely restrict the ability of trans and gender-expansive Missourians to exist in public life by prohibiting them from using sex segregated spaces in daily life from restrooms to housing shelters. We now wait for it to be referred to the House, which will determine if there is appetite for a Floor debate. We’ll be sure to keep you all updated about any movement and next steps.
