The Missouri legislature will gavel into session on Wednesday, Jan. 5, and there’ll be a lot at stake for small businesses.
One of our main priorities this session will be tort reform. We’ll be working closely with the Missouri Civil Justice Reform Coalition on two pieces of civil justice reform.
The first, filed by Sen. Dan Hegeman (12th District), would give individuals two years to file a claim instead of allowing them to wait as long as five years.
TAKE ACTION: Click here to ask your legislators to support Senator Hegeman’s bill, Senate Bill 631.
The second, sponsored by Sen. Jeanie Riddle (10th District), would set a 15-year liability statute of limitation on all goods sold or manufactured in the state. This bill would provide peace of mind for thousands of small retail businesses as well as the many manufacturers we have in the state.
We’re also monitoring several bills dealing with COVID-19 immunization liability, including proposals that would prevent employers from requiring workers to get immunized as a condition of employment.
In addition, there are bills in both the House and Senate that would link the number of weeks one can be on unemployment to the unemployment rate. For instance, if the unemployment rate is low like it is now in Missouri, the number of weeks someone could draw unemployment would be less. The theory is if unemployment is low, there should be more open positions available on the market. With over half of our NFIB members telling us they have positions they can not fill, these bills are a good idea and we will be supporting them again this year.
There will also be the usual number of economic development bills and legislation to lower taxes. Most bills this session will address redistricting, education, and spending.
Session will end no later than May 13.
