House Committee Sends Tort Reform Bill To Full House

Almost nine hours of testimony over two days come to a close as the Missouri House Judiciary Committee approves this year’s version of a litigation reform bill and sends the legislation to the full House. But the panel first heard from opponents of the bill. Among them: Chanda Graves of Glasgow who rushed her 11-month-old daughter to a hospital emergency room, was sent home, and saw her daughter die the next morning. She told the Committee the experience prevents her from having a normal relationship with her other children because she fears they’ll die when they get sick. Another person testifying was Angie Johnson of Joplin, whose 8-year-old daughter suffers from cerebral palsy because she was deprived of oxygen by error at birth. She wants hospitals and doctors held fully accountable for mistakes. Supporters of the legislation had their chance to be heard a day earlier. The vote to send the bill to the full House was a strict party-line tally, with Republicans voting “yes” and Democrats voting “no.”