Five days of debate and negotiations have produced a fix for Missouri’s insolvent Second Injury Fund. The Senate was able to tentatively approve a plan last night after failing to get the issue to the floor in the last three sessions.
Negotiations boiled down to whether majority Republicans wanted to pass a bill or whether they could, as minority Democrats put it, pass a bill the Governor will sign. Sponsor Scott Rupp says the new plan keeps Missourians from filing a claim against the fund unless they have a pre-existing military or work-related injury, then suffer a new work-related injury that disables them..
The bill tentatively approved by the Senate increases taxes on employers to pay for a backlog of Second Injury Fund claims by 2020. The bill also sets up special benefits for people sickened by exposure to toxins. People with Mesothelioma would receive enhanced benefits. St. Louis Senator Scott Sifton underlined the need for Mesothelioma victims and their families to get those extra payments. .
AUDIO: Sifton :29[1scott5]
One more favorable vote sends the bill to the House.