Missouri's business community says the courts have changed years of legal tradition in discrimination cases, and lawmakers must restore the order that existed until about five years ago.
But opponents say the proposed new law would hurt the state's Human Rights Commission's work and funding and, some say, would set the state's laws back 50 years.
Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah, told the Senate's Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee that his bill is "probably the most important economic development bill in our history."