Discrimination. The Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) prohibits hiring practices that discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age (at least 40, but less than 70 years of age), or disability. The law applies to all public employers and to private employers with six or more employees (MO Rev. Stat. Sec. 213.010 et seq.). A separate statute prohibits all employers, regardless of size, from discriminating against an employee or prospective employee based on genetic information or genetic test results (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 375.1306).
The
Missouri AIDS Act prohibits employers from discriminating against an individual based on HIV infection or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) status, unless the individual poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others or is unable to perform required job duties (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 191.665).More information is available at the
Missouri Discrimination and
Disabilities (ADA) sections.
Veterans’ preference. In public employment, fully qualified veterans are entitled to preference in hiring, and disabled veterans are entitled to additional preference (Miss. Code § 25-9-303).
Criminal history for public employers. Under an Executive Order (EO), state agencies and other employers in the executive branch of the state government must remove from initial job applications any questions relating to an applicant’s criminal history unless the commission of a crime would disqualify an applicant for the position (Mo. Exec. Order 16-04 (4/11/16)).
