Missouri SB 1456

SB 1456 - This act creates the Civil Liberties Defense Act, which mandates that any court, arbitration, tribunal, or administrative agency ruling shall be unenforceable if based on a foreign law which is repugnant or inconsistent with the Constitutions of Missouri and of the United States. The act makes contract provisions that choose to apply a foreign law to contractual disputes or to have disputes settled in another country void and unenforceable in Missouri, if the foreign law is repugnant to or inconsistent with the Constitutions of Missouri and of the United States. In some cases, a court may refuse to take jurisdiction over matters where the court believes there is a more appropriate forum for the dispute. This act requires that the court hear the case in Missouri if a state resident brings the case and if the court finds that not hearing the case in Missouri violates or would likely violate the rights of the person who brought the case. The act does not apply to a business entity that subjects itself to a foreign law in a jurisdiction outside the United States. The act does not authorize courts to adjudicate religious matters. This act is substantially similar to HB 2507 (2016), SCS/SB 619 (2014), and the truly agreed to and finally passed SS/SB 267 (2013) and is similar to the truly agreed to and finally passed SS/SCS/SBs 977 & 1011 (2026), SB 1372 (2026), HB 2106 (2026), HCS/HBs 2139 & 2175 (2026), HB 2327 (2026), HB 3338 (2026), HB 3346 (2026), HB 757 (2013), SB 676 (2012), HB 1512 (2012), SB 308 (2011), and SCS/HB 708 (2011). KATIE O'BRIEN