Senate clears workers' compensation, meth bills

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Senate passed legislation Thursday to limit workers' compensation claims and to restrict the sale of a key ingredient in methamphetamine.

The workers' compensation bill received preliminary approval a day earlier, and the Senate sent it on to the House with a 23-9 vote Thursday.

The legislation would make it more difficult for some injuries to qualify for workers' compensation.

The Senate voted 32-0 to pass and send to the House a bill limiting access to some cold medicines. The idea is to make it harder to buy pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, ingredients in many cold products, but also a key part of making the illegal drug methamphetamine.

The legislation is similar to an Oklahoma law. It would require tablet forms of the medicines to be kept behind a pharmacy counter and sold only by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. The bill would limit the amount of the tablets people could buy and would require customers to show identification. A purchase log would be kept that police could later check.

Gel cap and liquid forms of the medications still could be sold on store shelves.

The workers' compensation issue is a top priority for the Republican-controlled legislature and Gov. Matt Blunt, and business groups lauded its passage.

"This bill is going to reduce litigation and bring some sense to the system," said sponsoring Sen. John Loudon, R-Ballwin.

The legislation would tighten the definition of a workplace injury by requiring work to be "the prevailing factor" instead of a "substantial factor" in the injury. Also, all claims for compensation would have to be reviewed impartially, instead of giving the benefit of the doubt to the employee. In addition, people accused of defrauding the workers' compensation system could face a felony charge, punishable by up to four years in prison, rather than a misdemeanor.