ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The St. Louis public school system has implemented changes to their employment benefits to include coverage for married, same-sex spouses.

The change will go into effect April 1, 2014, according to the Special Administrative Board of the Saint Louis Public School System. The board voted 3-0 to approve the policy change.

In addition, Boone County, Mo., State Treasurer Nicole Galloway stated that, in her office, she would treat any marriage license the same. This means that legally married couples can claim money that is due each other’s partner.

“It is great to see that institutions such as SLPS and Boone County look to the practical implications of marriage and apply it appropriately as it related to their policies,.” said A.J. Bockelman, Executive Director of PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBT advocacy organization.

Earlier this month, Missouri joined the growing list of states facing legal challenges to their gay marriage bans when the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit seeking to force it to recognize the out-of-state marriages of eight same-sex couples.

But legislation was filed on Monday in the Missouri Senate that would allow Missouri business owners to cite religious beliefs as a legal justification for refusing to provide service.

Similar to Arizona’s recently vetoed SB 1062, the Missouri bill (SB 916) does not expressly cite sexual orientation, but could provide legal cover for individuals citing religious freedom to deny services to LGBT people.