SECOND REGULAR SESSION
93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES TILLEY (Sponsor), MOORE, WRIGHT (159), ROORDA, SMITH (14) AND FRAME (Co-sponsors).
Read 1st time March 2, 2006 and copies ordered printed.
STEPHEN S. DAVIS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 42, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to time off from work for spouses of deployed soldiers.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 42, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 42.255, to read as follows:
42.255. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any spouse of a soldier who is deployed on active duty shall be entitled to the following amounts of time off from work, without pay:
(1) Up to two weeks prior to the deployment of the soldier;
(2) Up to two weeks off during any time the soldier has returned home on a pass during deployment; and
(3) Up to two weeks off immediately after the soldier returns from deployment.
2. It shall be up to the spouse of the deployed soldier to determine the exact number of days such spouse wishes to take off from work but in no event shall such spouse be entitled to take more than two weeks off from work at any given time.
3. No employer shall take any adverse action regarding such spouse as a result of such spouse exercising the right to take time off from work under the provisions of this section. As used in this section "adverse action" includes but is not limited to loss of employment, loss of position, demotion, loss of seniority, loss of accumulated leave, impairment of performance appraisal, change in pay status, change in work schedule including shift, working days, and days off assigned to the spouse, and any other right or benefit to which the spouse employee is entitled, and no retirement benefit shall be diminished or eliminated because of the spouse taking time off from work under the provisions of this section.
4. Under the provisions of this section an employer may choose to pay the spouse for the days the spouse takes off from work but the employer is not required to do so.
•