#5) Religious Exemptions

State senator Bob Onder, Lake St. Louis, filed a bill that would allow certain business owners in the wedding industry to refuse service to same-sex couples on the ground of religion.

The measure, SJR 39, was so controversial, that it led to a 40-hour-long filibuster during debate in the Missouri senate.

While the senate did eventually pass the bill, it never made it to the house floor and instead died in the House Committee on Emerging Issues due to a tied vote.

Republican representative Caleb Rowden, Columbia, cast one of the votes against the constitutional amendment saying, “I disagreed with the bill as written and voted no. I did not believe SJR 39 was the right way to move our state forward at a time when the people of Missouri are looking for leadership on how to fix our roads, grow our economy, and keep our families safe.”

Below is a graph outlining the voting record of mid-Missouri lawmakers on SJR 39.

Sen. Kurt Schaefer – Boone (R) YES
Sen. Mike Kehoe – Cole (R) YES Rep. Caleb Rowden – Boone (R) NO Rep. Caleb Jones – Boone (R) n/a Rep. Chuck Basye – Boone (R) n/a Rep. Jay Barnes – Cole (R) n/a Rep. Kip Kendrick – Boone (D) n/a Rep. Stephen Webber – Boone (D) n/a