The Missouri Senate approved along party lines on Thursday [Feb. 16] a measure that adds occupational diseases to the workers' compensation program.
Workers' compensation provides coverage for workers injured or killed on the job. Including occupational diseases in the program would protect employers from lawsuits because a worker receiving coverage is restricted from suing an employer for damages.
In 2005, the legislature excluded occupational diseases in a broad package of changes that scaled back workers' compensation coverage. After that, businesses began to complain the exclusion had led to an increase in lawsuits against employers.
In addition, the measure imposes restrictions on when an employee can sue a co-worker for injuries, limiting such a lawsuit to a deliberate and purposeful act.
The bill was approved Thursday [Feb. 16] on a party-line vote, with Democrats voting against the measure.
The Senate proposal heads to the House of Representatives, which is still holding committee hearings about its own workers' compensation legislation.
It is the second measure that has been pushed by a coalition of business organizations to clear the Senate this session. Earlier, the Senate approved legislation limiting when an employee can file a discrimination lawsuit against an employer.
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