Mo. chamber lays out legislative priorities

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry today released its legislative priorities for 2015 that focus on creating an improved business environment.

Its No. 1 priority is to create long-term policies for job creation.

“Missouri is stronger when everyone who wants to work can find a job,” chamber President and CEO Dan Mehan said in a news release. “And Missouri will create more jobs when we improve the business climate in which our job creators - Missouri’s employers - operate.

“We can’t downplay the complexity of social problems that have moved to the forefront in recent months. However, creating more job opportunities can make a difference and is within reach this legislative session.”

The chamber board approved six focus areas for its 2015 agenda.

Education reform
The chamber seeks full funding for the state’s education system, better support for high-performing teachers and higher standards for students statewide, according to the release.

Mehan said the chamber also has put thought into how education and workforce development can align.

“Our employer members tell us that they have jobs to fill, but not enough qualified workers to fill those positions,” Mehan said in the release. “We must rethink how we approach workforce development so that Missouri is maximizing training dollars toward this need.”

Unemployment insurance reform
The chamber will ask legislators to reduce the tax liability of Missouri’s unemployment system in an effort to bring about broad-based relief to employers.

According to the release, chamber officials will work toward implementing standards making it more difficult for workers to access the system. It also will push for legislation to tie the number of weeks unemployment benefits will be paid to the unemployment rate.

Workers’ comp reform
In the upcoming session, chamber officials want to address the April 2014 Templemire v. W&M Welding ruling, which makes it easier for employees to secure judgments in cases alleging discrimination in workers’ compensation claims, according to the release.

As a result of the ruling, employees need only prove their claims were a contributing factor in their dismissal or demotion, according to the chamber.

“Adopting a contributing factor standard is a stark change in our status as an employment-at-will state,” Mehan said in the release. “There is no doubt this ruling will greatly increase employer liability by lowering the standard of proof necessary for an employee to prevail in a wrongful termination case against an employer.”

Transforming Medicaid
The Missouri chamber again seeks Medicaid expansion in the General Assembly.

The chamber has previously said the state stands to lose $2.2 billion in federal money every year by 2022 if it does not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Civil justice reform
The chamber specifically wants reform to the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.

According to the release, the law as it stands “promotes costly and sometimes outlandish lawsuits for which consumers and jobseekers pay the price.”

Reforms would return the law to its original purpose of preventing and punishing deceptive business practices.

Pre-emptive standards
This agenda issue focuses on making Missouri a more marketable state. Specifically, the chamber looks to prevent leave beyond the Family and Medical Leave Act, modified discrimination laws and increased minimum wage.

“After failing to pass antiemployer statewide mandates, we are seeing special interest groups target their efforts at the local level,” Mehan said in the release. “It’s time to put a stop to this new effort to fragment Missouri before it begins driving jobs out of our state.”