Missouri AG claims Kansas City, Missouri, commits race-, sex-based discrimination

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri attorney general filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the City of Kansas City, Missouri, for alleged race- and sex-based discrimination when it comes to public contracting.

The suit was filed to "stop Kansas City from engaging in blatant race‑ and sex‑based discrimination in public contracting," according to a press release from the Missouri Attorney General's Office.

The lawsuit takes aim at Kansas City's Minority and Woman Business Enterprise (MWBE) program in KCMO's Code of Ordinances, raising 14th Amendment claims against the city-sponsored program.

“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,” Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a press release. “The City’s unlawful quotas violate the core promise of equal protection under the law, shut out qualified businesses, and deny hardworking Missourians the chance to compete on a level playing field.”

According to the lawsuit, the AG claims KCMO disagrees with federal rules.

"For three decades, Kansas City has distributed government contracts on the basis of race and sex in the name of “affirmative action," the lawsuit states.

Hanaway said the city operates on a percentage-based quota for contracts given to certain race and sex groups, and contractor bids are rejected if the bids aren't in compliance with the MWBE ordinance.

The press release also said the city maintains the "discriminatory ordinance" despite evidence presented to the KCMO City Council in May showing no "compelling interest or need" to continue it.

KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas responded to the attorney general's lawsuit Wednesday, calling out the AG's office for political grandstanding.

“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," Lucas said in a statement. "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 Missouri AG is asking the court to end the city's alleged discriminatory practices permanently.

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