MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
Governor Bob Holden vetoed legislation that would have restricted liability lawsuits.
Missy Shelton reports.
The governor says the bill favors companies over injured individuals seeking to recover damages in court.
Holden says that's why he vetoed the measure though he says none of the provisions in the bill are totally objectionable to him.
Supporters of the bill say it will stop rising medical malpractice insurance rates by lowering caps on jury awards in malpractice lawsuits.
Holden says the bill doesn't do enough to deal with the crisis which is driving doctors out of the state.
Holden says he'd like to see new regulations placed on the insurance companies.
But Republican lawmakers say there's legislation moving through the process that would place new regulations on insurance companies.
Republican Representative Richard Byrd sponsored the bill that the governor vetoed.
He says the governor should have waited to decide what to do with his bill until lawmakers also sent him the insurance regulation proposal, which Byrd says makes a lot of changes.
House Speaker Catherine Hanaway says the governor gave in to pressure from trial attorneys who oppose lower caps on jury awards.
She says the governor vetoed a bill that would've lowered malpractice insurance rates for doctors...She says now those rates will continue to rise and doctors will continue to leave the state.
Hanaway says the crisis for doctors is a real one that lawmakers tried to address.
The governor says lawmakers should've dealt exclusively with medical malpractice instead of placing broader restrictions on liability lawsuits.
House Speaker Catherine Hanaway says she'll try to override the governor's veto though she acknowledges being 15 votes short.
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