JEFFERSON CITY — Today (3-29), the Missouri Senate successfully voted to override the governor’s recent veto of Senate Bill 572, sponsored by Sen. Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles.  Among other provisions, the legislation addresses protections for co-employees who are at risk of personal lawsuits for their role in honest accidents at work.

Senate Bill 572 would release co-employees from all liability for workplace injuries and death due to accidents or occupational disease that result from the worker’s employment.  However, if the employee purposefully causes or increases the risk of workplace injury, he or she would not escape liability.

The act would also make occupational disease exclusively covered under Missouri’s workers’ compensation law, including toxic exposure that causes health-related illness or death to workers.

The bill also states that all administrative remedies must be exhausted before civil actions involving injury or death filed by the employee can move forward.  In addition, the act would raise the death benefit for employees from $5,000 to $10,000.

Missouri’s workers’ compensation law provides certain benefits to workers who have been injured on the job or been exposed to occupational disease as a result of their job.

The last time the Missouri Senate successfully overrode a governor’s veto during session was in 2011, when the chamber overturned the governor’s veto on House Bill 193, which implemented a new congressional district map.

A two-thirds vote is needed in the Senate chamber to override a governor’s veto – that’s 23 votes.  The vote to override SB 572 today was 24-9. 

SB 572 now moves to the House for its veto override consideration, where 109 votes are needed.

For more information about this measure and other bills moving through the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov.  To contact the Senate Newsroom, call (573) 751-3824 or email: newsroom@senate.mo.gov.