Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed a lawsuit on July 22nd, to stop Kansas City from alleged race- and sex-based discrimination in public contracting. 

“Kansas Citians deserve a system based on fairness, merit, and equal treatment, not one that sorts people and spends taxpayer dollars based on race or sex. The City’s unlawful quotas violate the core promise of equal protection under the law, shut out qualified business, and deny hardworking Missourians the chance to compete on a level playing field,” explained AG Hanaway.

The lawsuit raises Fourteenth Amendment claims against Kansas City’s Minority and Woman Business Enterprise (MWBE) program. Under Sec. 3-427, the City has set annual participation goals in all contracts for total MBE and WBE at 14.7% and 14.4%, respectively. 

Kansas City’s internal taxpayer-funded “disparity study” didn’t find any compelling requirement for a discriminatory ordinance. After presenting the results to the City Council, leadership declined to change the policy, which continues to violate federal law. 

In response to the AG’s lawsuit, Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a statement stating, “I had much hope that Missouri finally had an Attorney General committed to fighting human trafficking, eliminating elder abuse, and protecting Missouri’s seniors from fraudsters. Unfortunately, we still do not, as our new Attorney General takes part in yet another culture war issue. Our lawyers will handle it. The people of Missouri and Kansas City will lose, as talented young lawyers in her office spend their time on another political stunt rather than the safety of Missourians.”

The fate of 100 businesses enrolled in the program now lies in limbo as they wait on the federal judge’s decision.