State Senators Reject Legislative Pay Increase
The fifth week of session began with state senators rejecting a proposed legislative pay increase. Every two years, the Missouri Constitution requires an independent panel known as the Missouri Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials to recommend pay increases for legislators, statewide elected officials and judges. The commission’s recommendation automatically takes effect unless a two-thirds majority in both chambers adopt a resolution to reject it by Feb. 1.
Yesterday, at the Nixa Early Childhood Center, the governor outlined his spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, which by all accounts is going to be a challenging one. Without drastic cuts, it is projected we will have a budgetary shortfall to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. This is a big reason why many of my colleagues and I do not believe now is the right time to increase our own pay. I was proud to be among those who voted to pass House Concurrent Resolution 4, ultimately rejecting the commission’s recommended pay raise. The House approved the measure Jan. 23.
On Tuesday, I presented Senate Bill 124 in committee. This measure provides that changes in population shall not remove a city, county or political subdivision from the operation of a law. Very often, legislation pertaining to municipalities is based on population size. Today, population size is used to draft legislation on everything from public utilities to various tax laws. Over the years, this method has worked relatively well. Then, in 2016, a Missouri court essentially found that laws based on population size are not valid if the municipality in question has a population that increased or decreased enough to where it no longer fits within a statute’s legal description.
Senate Bill 124 simply makes it so that once a legal description has been applied to a municipality, it will remain intact even if the population changes. This will allow Missouri’s cities and towns to experience natural fluctuations in population without losing the protections and guidance of their existing laws.
Finally, the Senate successfully passed Senate Bill 31 on Thursday. Identical to legislation we sent to the governor last year, SB 31 seeks to restore fairness to personal injury litigation and help reduce the cost of insurance for doctors and businesses. Specifically, it establishes that the appropriate recovery for medical expenses is the amount actually paid for medical expenses rather than the value.
In 2005, the Missouri General Assembly passed a comprehensive tort reform measure. One provision sought to fairly compensate injured parties for their medical bills. The intent was to allow injured parties to recover the actual cost of their treatment, not the value; unfortunately, the courts have since misinterpreted the intent of that provision and the definition of “value.” This has resulted in plaintiffs seeking compensation for medical bills they never had to pay.
Senate Bill 31 further clarifies the 2005 law and returns the statute to its original intended purpose by adding the definition of “actual cost.” Missouri’s citizens, health care community and businesses all want a more balanced and consistent legal system. As such, passing SB 31 has been a priority for us, and I am pleased we were able to move it forward. The bill now moves to the House for further debate.
If you have any questions or comments regarding your state government, please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-1503. You are also welcome to e-mail me at jay.wasson@senate.mo.gov.