HB 153, sponsored by Representative Kevin Corlew and supported by Associated Industries of Missouri, was heard in a Senate committee this week. The bill would adopt the same standard for evaluating expert witnesses that is used in federal courts and more than 40 states. The bill has already passed the House. The committee hearing was a first step on the Senate side. If approved by the committee, the bill would need approval by the full Senate.
Thanks to an amendment proposed by Rep. Jay Barnes and adopted on the floor of the House during the perfection process, the bill’s provisions would not apply to workers’ compensation cases or other cases where there is no right to a jury trial. In such cases, application of the law would be limited anyway because the judge would hear the evidence and decide whether it should be considered as he or she decides the case or not.
Associated Industries of Missouri has supported this change for several years. Last year, the bill was passed and vetoed by former Governor Jay Nixon.
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