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Mo. House moves to fix injury fund

The Missouri House has passed its version of a workers’ compensation bill that also proposes to fix the state’s ailing Second Injury Fund.  The vote again fell mostly along party lines.

Democrats, including Kevin McManus of Kansas City, continued to object to provisions that would move all occupational disease claims from the courts to the workers’ compensation system.

“While it does offer some compensation, that compensation is severely limited in term of death benefits…it really amounts to almost a burial fee in order to cover the cost of the coffin,” McManus said.

The bill’s backers say it would provide much-needed financial relief to small businesses and make the state more business-friendly.  They also say tightening eligibility for 2nd Injury Fund claims and shifting some of those cases to workers’ comp will help the fund recover. 

The bill now goes to the State Senate. 

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.