Engler: Progress in the Senate Slowing

March 1 marked the final day to file bills in the Senate. More than 400 bills were filed in the Senate, but history shows that few will make it through the legislative process. We spent quite a bit of time on the floor this week discussing legislation, but progress moved at a snails pace, and I have few results to report.

We stayed late on Wednesday night debating Senate Bill 8. The bill, at its core, would make a change to workers’ compensation law. Currently when a worker gets hurt on the job they receive workers comp and also can sue the worker beside them for negligence. This bill will eliminate the personal liability to the coworker when it is truly an accident.

I have held up this bill on the floor to try and correct what I see as a flaw because of an instance from my district where a worker suffered a terrible illness after being exposed to toxic substances. She has since passed away from the illness, but now the company has gone after her estate (because of current state law) to recover any workers’ comp benefits she received before the settlement was reached.

Also, legislation containing an unemployment compensation extension was filibustered by senators who wanted to turn down an $81 million extension from the federal government. Their principled stand on House Bill 163 affects about 23,000 people who will stop receiving their extended unemployment benefits on April 2. I do not understand some of my colleagues’ thought process.

Senate Bill 188, legislation to change Missouri’s Human Rights Act to mirror the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, did receive first-round approval this week. The bill changes Missouri law to specifically state that discrimination must be “a motivating factor” rather than “a contributing factor” in wrongful termination lawsuits. We spent quite a bit of time on the floor working on it, and I still don’t think it’s a great piece of legislation.

Next week we will be debating what to do with education money from the federal government. Some senators want to use the money this year and some want to hold it over till next. More on this in next weeks Capitol Report.


I was happy to welcome students and teachers from Mineral Area Community College who visited the Capitol this week. I introduced advisors Debbie Lee and Keith Mitchell and students Jason Underwood, Hannah Craft, Aimee Gigax, Christina Wood, Melissa DeSerio, Lee Wilson and Chelsea Wiles on the floor of the Senate.


Winston is awaiting word from the Governor on his parole. (Photo by Keaton Ashlock)