JEFFERSON CITY — Last week, the Missouri General Assembly reached the mid-point of the annual legislative session. After two months, the Missouri Senate has already passed legislation that would improve Missouri's job climate, approved “Paycheck Protection” legislation, and sent a bill to the House that would exempt farm work performed by young Missourians.

One of the Senate’s top priorities for this session is to pass legislation to create jobs and grow the economy in the Show-Me State. Early in session the Senate passed Senate Bill 1, which would change Missouri’s laws relating to the Second Injury Fund and the Workers’ Compensation system. The Second Injury Fund began as a means to encourage employers to hire workers with pre-existing disabilities or injuries. It compensates employees for the combination of their pre-existing injuries with their workplace injury. It also ensures that workers who are injured while working for an uninsured employer are given medical care.

In recent years, claims to the fund have significantly increased and it is now facing the very serious problem of insolvency. Under the bill, temporary funding mechanisms would be created to bolster the state’s Second Injury Fund.  The legislation would also establish a priority for paying fund liabilities and eliminate claims for permanent partial disability against the fund. Senate Bill 1 is a solution that will extend relief to the many currently receiving Second Injury Fund benefits, while also limiting the effect on the many businesses in our state who have been adversely affected by the increasing cost of insurance. With SB 1, businesses would have the certainty they need to reinvest in their businesses and put people back to work.

The Missouri Senate also approved “Paycheck Protection” legislation. Senate Bill 29 would require annual written approval from public employee union members in order to withhold earnings for dues, agency shop fees, or any other fee paid by public employee members of a labor organization. The legislation also requires union members’ permission to use their dues or fees as a political contribution or expenditure. I am concerned that forced union membership and compulsory political contributions are making Missouri less competitive in attracting employers and bringing jobs to our state. It is also troubling that someone would be forced to give their hard-earned wages to candidates or causes that oppose their own views. Just as private citizens or employees in other industries are not forced to contribute to particular political candidates or causes, neither should someone be forced to do so simply by virtue of working in a union.

Another bill passed by the Senate in the first half of the legislation session would protect youth jobs on family farms. Senate Bill 16 would exempt farm work performed by young Missourians under the age of 16 from certain labor requirements. This is in response to a policy proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor that would have imposed restrictions on agricultural youth employment. As many of us know in southwest Missouri, farming is a family business, and often times all members of the family are needed to get the work accomplished. Parents are in the best position to decide what their children are capable of and should not have that right taken away by the federal government.  Senate Bill 16 simply says that children can work on family farms with their parent’s permission, as they always have.

Throughout the coming months, your legislature will continue to work on public policy that seeks to get Missourians back to work, while limiting government intrusion into their lives. We will also invest time and effort to balance the state budget. This is always a difficult task, as we must find a way to fund priorities like education, transportation, and public safety with limited resources.