As small business owners across Missouri scramble to provide newly state-mandated paid sick leave by May 1, Washington University in St. Louis acknowledges it’s trying to become exempt from the requirement.

A confidential legislative source had reported the allegation to The Heartlander, and on Wednesday, WashU acknowledged it as true.

“Along with several of our partner institutions, we are advocating for all Missouri colleges and universities to be exempt from this requirement, whether they are public or private,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to The Heartlander.

“At WashU, we already offer this benefit; however, we believe it was the intention of Missouri voters in passing Prop A that all schools should be exempt.”

The Heartlander’s source, who requested anonymity, took issue with the school’s efforts.

“No [Missouri] small business has a [12] billion dollar endowment to dip into to pay for the out-of-state liberal anti-small business crusades that were forced on them!” says the source, which works closely with the Legislature.

Proposition A, which Missouri voters passed last November, raises the state’s minimum wage to $15 and requires most employers to provide one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

The Heartlander’s source said WashU’s lobbyists worked furiously to exempt the university from the sick leave mandate.

The university, which is largely regarded as far-left, may have some explaining to do to liberal supporters as to why it would lobby to exclude itself from paid sick leave for minimum-wage workers.

WashU has 13 lobbyists, and U.S. News & World Report has ranked the university’s $12 billion endowment among the Top 20 among the nation’s colleges and universities.