February 3,
2011
Employment Law Reform Bill Heard in
Missouri House Committee
On January 31st the Missouri
House Committee on Workforce Development and Workplace Safety,
Chaired by Rep. Barney Fisher (R-Richards),
heard HB 205, the Employment Law Reform bill
sponsored by Rep. Kevin Elmer
(R-Nixa). The RCGA submitted a letter in
strong
support of HB 205, as we believe that maintaining a favorable business
climate is essential to the future of our state,
particularly when other states around the
country are aggressively competing with us for jobs.
Restoring balance and fairness in Missouri's employment
laws is also one of the "Fix the Six" priorities supported by
a wide variety of business and industry groups throughout the
state.
Over the past decade, some courts
in Missouri have issued decisions that have strayed from
precedent and created a new body of law not found in Missouri
statutes. This trend, if not reversed, will cause
long-term harm to the business climate in this state and could
deter efforts to attract and retain quality jobs.
Some examples of harmful court decisions
include:
- the creation of a constitutional
right to a jury trial for all employment discrimination cases,
regardless of merit, which has greatly increased the cost of such
litigation;
- the ability to hold individual managers
and supervisors personally liable, even if their actions were
taken on behalf of the company;
- the existence of "whistleblower" status
for employees even in situations where the company neither
engaged in illegal activity nor even contemplated such activity;
and
- upsetting the legal balance in alleged
discrimination cases by changing the applicable causation
standard from "a motivating factor" to "a contributing
factor".
The RCGA applauds House leadership and
Chairman Fisher for allowing the bill to be heard early
in session so that it can move forward in the legislative
process. An Employment Law Reform bill has also been filed
in the Senate -- SB 188, sponsored by Sen. Brad Lager
(R-Savannah).
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Employment Law Reform
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The "Fix the Six" coalition
seeks to restore balance and fairness to Missouri's employment
laws by:
- limiting individual liability of
managers and supervisors;
- mirroring the federal standard of
proof in discrimination cases;
- tightening whistleblower
protection so that it applies only in cases when an employee
alerts authorities to an actual illegal act; and
- implementing reasonable damage
caps.
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Focus on Illinois:
IPAC Discusses State Budget
On January 21st the RCGA's Illinois
Public Affairs Committee had a spirited discussion following a
budget presentation from Ralph Martire, executive director of the
Center for Tax and Budget
Accountability (CTBA). The CTBA is a non-profit
bi-partisan organization in Chicago that analyzes the State
budget and offers recommendation on the fiscal challenges facing
the state.
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Ralph Martire provides an overview of the
state's budget outlook.
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Martire noted that the State
budget has had a structural deficit every year from FY 2001 - FY
2011. He stated that the recent personal and
corporate income tax increases will raise $6.4 billion and $600
million respectively, helping to pay down the more than $13
billion deficit. However, he explained that further cuts to
the budget would be challenging, as $9 out of every $10 of the
General Fund is spent on education, health care, human services
and public safety. Martire also noted that when population growth
and inflation are factored in, the State is actually spending
less on public services than in 2000.
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actively discusses the state's budget challenges.
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Rep. Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville)
discusses the budget
presentation.
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Following Martire's presentation, the
IPAC group, which included Illinois Sen. Kyle McCarter
(R-Decatur), Rep. Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville), and
Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Edwardsville), discussed
potential approaches to help balance the budget and reduce the
State's structural deficit. Topics discussed included
further budget reductions, pension reform, and Medicaid
reform.
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Newly-elected Rep. Dwight
Kay (R-Edwardsville) (center) speaks on the state budget situation while Sen. Kyle
McCarter (R-Decatur) (left) and IPAC Chair Doug Sitton look
on.
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Recent Illinois Income
Tax Increases
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Income tax increases, retroactive to Jan.
1, 2011
Personal income tax increased from 3% to 5%
until 2015. Rate will drop to 3.75% in 2015, and then to
3.25% in 2025.
Corporate income tax increased from 4.8% to 7%
until 2015. Rate will drop to 5.25% in 2015, and to 4.8% in
2025.
State spending limits tied to the income
tax increase:
- $36.8 billion in FY 2012
- $37.5 billion in FY 2013
- $38.3 billion in FY 2014
- $39.0 billion in FY 2015
Source:
Chicago Tribune
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Missouri Legislative
Breakfast Sponsored by
St. Louis County
On
January 26th St. Louis County
sponsored the second RCGA legislative breakfast of 2011 in
Jefferson City honoring members of the Missouri General
Assembly. The breakfast was hosted by
County Executive
Charlie Dooley, Midwest China Hub Commission Chairman
and Chief Policy Adviser for St. Louis County Mike
Jones, St. Louis County Chief Operating Officer
Gary Earls, Director of Intergovernmental
Affairs Tom Curran, Special Assistant to the
County Executive and former Missouri Senator Rita
Days, and Julie Lecht, Special
Assistant to the County Executive.
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Sen.
Scott Rupp (R-Wentzville) (left) and breakfast host County Executive Charlie Dooley pose
for a picture.
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(from left) Rep. Bert Atkins (D-Florissant), Julie
Lecht, Special Assistant to the County Executive, Rep. Sylvester
Taylor (D-Black Jack), and Tom Curran, Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs for St. Louis
County.
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Gary Earls, Chief
Operating Officer for St. Louis County, talks about regional
issues with Rep. Sally Faith (R-St. Charles) over some morning
coffee.
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(from left) Ann Brand, Director of Government Affairs
for St. Louis Community College, Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal
(D-University City), and Rep. Michele Kratky (D-South St. Louis)
enjoy breakfast before a hectic day at the
Capitol.
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County Executive Dooley poses with Rep.
Eileen McGeoghegan (D-St. Ann) (center) and Rita
Days, Special Assistant to the County
Executive.
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Rep. Charlie Denison
(R-Springfield) (center left) and Rep. Darrell Pollock
(R-Lebanon) (center right) ham it up at breakfast
with (clockwise from Pollock) Rep. Jeanie Lauer
(R-Blue Springs), House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville),
Warren Wood, Vice President of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs
for Ameren Missouri, Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller (R-Willard),
Rep. Tony Dugger (R-Hartville), and Rep. Gary Cross (R-Lee's
Summit).
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Upcoming Events
February 9 -- Biweekly Legislative Breakfast in
Jefferson City
Join us for our next biweekly Missouri
Legislative Breakfast, sponsored by Bryan Cave,
on Wednesday, February 9th at the Doubletree Hotel in
Jefferson City. Stop by anytime between 7:00 and 8:30
a.m. RSVP to Sherri Bailey at sbailey@stlrcga.org.
March 11 -- Public
Policy Speaker Series featuring Tom Donohue
Mark your calendars for the first RCGA
Public Policy Speaker Series event of 2011 featuring Tom
Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce. Mr. Donohue, recently labeled by
Bloomberg Businessweek as President Obama’s “tormentor,” will
discuss key business issues facing the new Congress in
Washington. Space will be limited, so please mark your
calendar now for this exciting luncheon event on Friday, March
11th. More details and registration information
will be coming soon.
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