Bill > SB758

This bill modifies several key aspects of employer liability and workers' compensation law in Missouri. The bill increases employer liability for workplace safety violations by raising the compensation increase from 15% to between 25% and 50% when an injury is caused by the employer's failure to comply with safety standards or regulations. It also introduces new provisions regarding drug and alcohol use in the workplace, including reducing compensation by 50% if an injury is sustained in conjunction with alcohol or non-prescribed controlled drug use, and potentially forfeiting benefits entirely if such use is the proximate cause of the injury. The bill expands the definition of compensable injuries to include unprovoked violence against an employee and provides more specific guidelines for mental injury claims, stipulating that work-related stress must be "extraordinary and unusual" to be considered compensable. Additionally, the legislation increases the maximum liability insurance coverage for public entities from $2 million to $4 million per occurrence and from $300,000 to $500,000 per person, and allows for punitive damages in cases where a public entity has violated safety standards. The bill also introduces a new provision allowing potential compensation claims on behalf of an unborn child in certain injury or death scenarios, and increases the burial expense limit from $5,000 to $15,000.

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https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=6348291