This week the Senate continued detailed and time-consuming work on subjects like tort reform and reforming many court decisions made by activist judges. We’ve had a situation in Missouri the last eight years where judges attempted to legislate from the bench because they knew they had a friendly governor who would veto attempts by the Legislature to act as a checks and balances-against the judicial branch. These checks and balances are important between the three branches of government, and much of our work in the first month of session has revolved around restoring checks to judicial overreach that have made Missouri a haven for frivolous lawsuits. These frivolous lawsuits make Missouri an unappealing location for business expansion and job growth so we will continue our efforts to reform this area of law.
One example is Senate Bill 237 from new Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, was given first-round approval this week. This legislation would change the definitions of “employee” and “physician employee” because many doctors that have admitting rights to hospitals are not actually employees of the hospital. While doctors do pay dues to hospitals in order to use their facilities, they are still independent entities. This is an example of the Legislature working to clarify law to better reflect reality.
We did manage to work on the Senate Consent Calendar – a special part of the Senate calendar for non-controversial bills like highway renamings. I am pleased to report that Senate Bill 64 to honor fallen Missouri Department of Transportation (MODoT) worker Lyndon Ebker was passed by the Senate and sent to the House on Tuesday night. Senate Bill 64 renames the bridge on State Highway 100 crossing over Big Boeuf Creek in Franklin County the “Lyndon Ebker Memorial Bridge.”
I have written about Mr. Ebker’s untimely death in this column before – Mr. Ebker served MODoT for over three decades and was struck and killed by a motorist while inspecting a bridge near New Haven. Once Senate Bill 64 is passed by the House, Mr. Ebker will be memorialized and I think that is the least we can do to honor his service and sacrifice to the state.
In other news this week, Gov. Eric Greitens held a Facebook question and answer session where he addressed the opioid epidemic and the need for a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) in our state (we are the last state in the nation without such a database). It’s actually the first question he answers in the video (https://www.facebook.com/EricGreitens/videos/10155014709024747/). The governor has lost family to the opioid epidemic just as many in our community have and he reiterated his support for making PDMP a reality in Missouri. Senate Bill 314 is my PDMP legislation and it was reported out of my Transportation, Infrastructure, and Public Safety committee to the full Senate this morning. I am looking forward to debate and passage of this important measure.
Thank you for reading this weekly column. Please contact my office at (573) 751-3678 if you have any questions.