Two legal reform bills that spell good news for business were successfully voted out of the House on April 18. HB 2119 seeks to fix a problem in Missouri where the possibility of punitive damages is being used to get companies to agree to higher settlement amounts. The legislation would only allow punitive damages in […]
Read More »The end of legislative session is already quickly approaching. Despite some predictions of inertia during these final weeks, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is continuing to advocate for several critical bills to improve Missouri’s business climate. While hundreds of bills are still technically in play, we’ve chosen to highlight the top seven proposals […]
Read More »Two workforce development House bills that promote business-education partnerships, career awareness and real-world skills were voted out of the Senate Education Committee on April 10. Both bills are sponsored by Rep. Jeanie Lauer, a Republican from Blue Springs. “Workforce development is part education, part economic development, and certainly [ties] in to the employers for what […]
Read More »Far too often, trial lawyers in Missouri are using the threat of costly punitive damages to help drive up payouts from businesses. The Missouri House of Representatives is working to stop this practice. On April 10, the House gave first round approval to House Bill 2119. The legislation seeks to fix a problem in Missouri […]
Read More »A Missouri House committee has passed a bill to continue Missouri’s successful sporting event tax credit. First passed in 2013, the tax credit has helped bring a wide variety of spectator events to the state, including three college basketball tournaments last month. The tax credit will expire in 2019 unless the Missouri General Assembly takes […]
Read More »A House bill that clarifies venue laws to ensure lawsuits are brought in the proper court location was passed by the Senate Committee on Government Reform by a vote of 5-2 on April 4. Missouri’s existing laws have allowed thousands of out-of-state cases to be transferred into the state—mostly to St. Louis courts, which have […]
Read More »On April 4, the Senate Committee on Government Reform heard a multi-part bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Kehoe. SB 1102 combines several of the Missouri Chamber’s top priorities for civil justice reforms, including: the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA), arbitration, joinder and venue, punitive damages, and joint and several liability. The existing MMPA, which was […]
Read More »Rep. Bruce DeGroot’s House Bill 1645, which helps bring fairness and transparency to the asbestos trust system, was voted out of Senate committee on April 4. The bill reforms the current practice of “double-dipping” by trial lawyers that depletes limited trust fund resources to the detriment of future claimants. It allows for the fair allocation […]
Read More »New data from the Missouri 2030 Dashboard reveals Missouri is gaining in several key economic areas including employment growth, startups and graduation rates. As part of Missouri 2030, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s bold strategic plan for statewide economic growth, the Dashboard is a source for independent and objective data on more than […]
Read More »The Missouri House of Representatives has passed a $27.8 billion budget that prioritizes investment in efforts to improve the state’s workforce. The House is proposing to fully fund the state’s public school funding formula for the second straight year. The bill passed by the House would boost school funding by roughly $100 million in the […]
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