Missouri Bill Regarding Whistleblower Protections at Facilities Handling Aborted Fetal Remains (HB 2069)

HB 2069 would provide whistleblower protections for employees who work in facilities that handle aborted fetal remains.

Any facility involved in handling fetal remains from an elective abortion would be required to establish and implement a written policy relating to the protections for employees who disclose information concerning:

• Alleged facility mismanagement or fraudulent activity; or
• Alleged violations of applicable federal or state laws or administrative rules concerning abortions or the handling of fetal remains.

HB 2069 prohibits employers from prohibiting employees from disclosing such information. It also prohibits employers from threatening to use their authority to knowingly discriminate against, dismiss, penalize, or in any way retaliate against or harass an employee because the employee disclosed any of the above information.

The bill goes on to describe the program that should be put in place at each facility to manage this policy and for employees to report the information they wish to disclose.

STATUS

Three other bills (HB 2068, HB 2070, and HB 2071) related to fetal tissue were introduced by Rep. Diane Franklin in response to the heavily edited and discredited videos produced by the Center for Medical Progress in the summer of 2015.

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