SPONSOR: Veit
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Workforce Development by a vote of 11 to 0. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules- Legislative Oversight by a vote of 9 to 0.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HB 384.
Currently, the Second Injury Fund receives funds from an annual surcharge of up to 3% on employers' workers' compensation premiums and an annual supplemental surcharge of up to 3% for calendar years 2014 to 2021. This bill extends the supplemental surcharge sunset from 2021 to 2024.
This bill is similar to HB 348 (2021).
The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: This bill will help ensure solvency of the Second Injury Fund which benefits disabled individuals. By extending a surcharge, it will help the fund to avoid bankruptcy and allow time to address overall funding. It is easier to reduce surcharge rates in the future rather than deal with a problem of insolvency.
Testifying for the bill were Representative Veit; National Federation of Independent Business; Missouri Department of Labor & Industrial Relations; Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Missouri Self Insurers Association; Associated Industries of Missouri; and Ford Motor Company.
OPPONENTS: There was no opposition voiced to the committee.
OTHERS: Others testifying on the bill say that many colleges can provide job training at reduced cost when compared with Private technical training. Workforce development can be very expensive and Community colleges often assist in job training for residents of Missouri.
Testifying on the bill were Missouri Retailers Association; St. Louis Community College; and Joe Gilgour, Mineral Area College.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: