Missouri Senate Democrats call for human rights commission chair's removal

Susan Szuch, Springfield News-Leader
·3 min read
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During a March 29 hearing on the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act (MONA), Timothy Faber testified against the bill as "a legislative liaison for the Missouri Baptist Convention." Democratic senators are calling for Faber's removal as chair of the Missouri Human Rights Commission for "misleading state senators" and putting his own views "before his duties as chairman."

In the hearing, Faber identified himself as the legislative liaison for the Missouri Baptist Convention, a role he stepped into in January.

"The fact of the matter is, this bill cannot be separated from religion and particularly religious liberty. The United States constitution, and the Missouri constitution, both guarantee the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. This bill sets up a host of conflicts against such freedoms," Faber said in the hearing.

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Faber also said that if the bill passed, the MCHR would see more work.

"There would be an increase in lawsuits, and the caseload of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights would increase exponentially. This will create an even greater backlog of cases for the MCHR staff than what they already have, and more expense for the citizens of Missouri to defend a case that will ultimately be lost."

Sen. Doug Beck questioned Faber about bringing up the MCHR while not disclosing his connection to it, saying it was "kind of disingenuous."

“I do not speak for the Human Rights Commission. That’s not my role,” Faber later told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “That was not my intent. And I don’t even have the legal right to do so, especially considering that the commission has not addressed these issues. That’s why I did not identify myself as a commissioner.”

The letter, signed by the 11 Democratic state senators, said that Faber misled state senators and that his testimony was "in direct contradiction to the mission" of the MCHR.

The MHRC is meant to "eliminate discrimination through the enforcement of the Missouri Human Rights Act and prevent social inequality through education and outreach," according to its site.

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Missouri's Human Rights Act currently prohibits discrimination on basis of "race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, or age as it relates to employment, disability, or familial status as it relates to housing." MONA, proposed this year by Sen. Greg Razer, aims to include sexual orientation and gender among the protected statuses. Some form of the act has been filed yearly in Missouri's legislature since 2000.

In addition to the Democratic state senators, Missouri's LGBTQ advocacy organization, PROMO, also called for Faber's removal.

"Listening to someone testify for the ability to discriminate against any Missourian is already horrifying, but to hear the Chair of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights do so is absolutely reprehensible," said Robert Fischer, director of communications for PROMO. "To say that someone should have the right to 'discriminate against someone on any number of factors' when your specific job is to defend all Missourians and ensure equitable treatment — it is time for a change at the MCHR."

The Missouri Commission on Human Rights and the governor's office have not responded to requests for comment.

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MO Senate Democrats call for human rights commission chair's removal