A critical bill to protect Missouri employers from COVID-19 exposure lawsuits has been passed by the Missouri Senate. By a vote of 20-13, the bill now moves to the Missouri House of Representatives. Senate Bill 51 would stop lawsuits targeting businesses over alleged exposure to COVID-19. Since March, more than 1,000 COVID-19 lawsuits have been […]
Read More »Missouri has made good progress in recent years to help level the playing field for businesses in the state’s courtrooms. But legal climate rankings continue to put Missouri’s civil justice system among the most unfair to business defendants. The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform ranks Missouri 44th in the nation for lawsuit climate. Meanwhile, […]
Read More »The rise of the gig economy and contract-based projects can sometimes create tricky situations for employers when it comes to classifying some workers as employees and others as independent contractors. Sen. Bob Onder is working to bring clarity to this situation in Missouri with his Senate Bill 148. The legislation would set out a clear […]
Read More »In recent election cycles, Missouri’s initiative petition filing process has become a free-for-all. While only a fraction of petitions actually made it onto the ballot, some of those that did created concerns due to the complexity of the issues and confusingly-worded ballot language. Poorly written petitions often create years of tax dollar funded litigation if […]
Read More »Missouri retail businesses face a big disadvantage against many internet sellers that are not required to collect sales tax on goods sold in our state. The Missouri Chamber is advocating for legislation that will put brick-and-mortar businesses back onto an even playing field with online sellers. Lawmakers must pass legislation requiring internet retailers doing business […]
Read More »Sen. Lincoln Hough is on a mission to create TIME Zones in Missouri. Don’t be misled by the acronym; his bill has nothing to do with how people set their watches. Rather, TIME stands for Targeted Industrial Manufacturing Enhancement. These economic development zones would be similar to Missouri’s existing AIM (Advanced Industrial Manufacturing) zones, which […]
Read More »Having packages delivered could become faster and more convenient than ever for Missourians, thanks to a bill under consideration by the Senate transportation committee. Sen. Lincoln Hough is a Republican from Springfield sponsoring Senate Bill 176, which would allow and provide guidelines for the use of personal delivery devices, or PDDs. “In statute oftentimes, when […]
Read More »A Senate committee met on Feb. 9 to hear two bills that would impact Missouri employers. Here are the highlights. Small franchisee protection Established business relationships between franchisees and franchisors have been at risk of being negatively impacted by changes to the joint employer standard at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The key to […]
Read More »The workers’ compensation system in Missouri was established to pay for medical care and other benefits for workers who have been injured on the job. This week, a House committee voted to pass a bill that would extend the supplemental surcharge paid by employers into the Second Injury Fund (SIF) from 2021 to 2026 and keep […]
Read More »As the state with the seventh largest transportation system — yet funding that ranks 45th in the nation — Missouri’s infrastructure is in dire need of investment. Missouri lawmakers are poised to consider a solution to this problem as an innovative funding proposal is now primed to be considered in the Missouri Senate. The Senate […]
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