Capitol Report for the Week of March 4, 2019
On Monday, March 4, the Missouri Senate put its stamp of approval on an important piece of tort reform legislation. Senate Bill 7 aims to reform Missouri’s rules surrounding “joinder and venue” in civil court proceedings. Currently, attorneys often find an individual from St. Louis to join their lawsuit to establish “venue” in one of the city’s courts. These courts are considered favorable because they often produce higher awards for plaintiffs. Once the “venue” is established, the local individual would often be dropped from the case while the proceeding continues to take place in the plaintiff-friendly courtrooms of St. Louis. This practice has ruined Missouri’s judicial reputation throughout our country’s business community and has directly stood in the way of job creators coming to the Show-Me State. SB 7 aims to swing the judicial balance of power away from ill-guided attorneys and reform our state’s rules for civil court proceedings. This legislation specifies that simply joining a party to a case (joinder) is not sufficient to establishing venue and sets specific guidelines for determining a civil case’s venue.
This issue has plagued our state’s judicial reputation for years, and I believe this legislation will play an important role in cutting down on the senseless lawsuits that are clogging up our courts. While this proposal now heads to the Missouri House of Representatives for consideration, I am confident that this is the year we push this issue across the finish line and send it he governor for his consideration.
Throughout the 2019 legislative session, Robert Ninness will be serving as our office intern. He currently attends Truman State University, where he is majoring in political science and working toward a minor in classical studies. Originally from Arnold, Missouri, Robert came to the State Capitol to learn more about the legislative process and the issues that affect our state. Following graduation in May, Robert intends to move to Washington, D.C., where he plans to work in foreign policy and attend graduate school. Robert is an invaluable part of our office and I look forward to working with him throughout the 2019 legislative session.
Visitors From the 10th Senatorial District
From left to right: Leah Almeling, Analyst Corp. Communications; Donna Or, General Manager Administration; Wes Woods, President; Rep. Randy Pietzman, R-Troy; and Kim Menke, Regional Government Affairs Director.
It is an honor to be your state senator and my door is always open to your concerns, questions or comments. Please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-2757 or visit my web page at www.senate.mo.gov/riddle.