February 18, 2021 - The House Special Committee on Litigation Reform, chaired by Rep. Bruce DeGroot, today heard HB 922, sponsored by Rep. Dan Houx, that would reduce the statute of limitations in injury lawsuits from the current 5 years to 2 years. A similar bill in the Senate, SB 3, sponsored by Sen. Dan Hegeman, has also already received a hearing in the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, chaired by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer.
Associated Industries of Missouri supports both bills. AIM President and CEO Ray McCarty testified in support of both bills.
"Missouri has the third longest statute of limitations in the United States for bringing an injury lawsuit," said McCarty. "Most states have a statute of limitations of 2 years or less. Of our bordering states, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa and Oklahoma all limit suits to 2 years, while Kentucky and Tennessee limit to 1 year. Forty-four states limit such suits to 3 years or less. Missouri should lower the statute of limitations to 2 years, as provided in HB 922 (Houx) and SB 3 (Hegeman)," he said.
Below is a table showing the current statutes of limitation for each state. The Committees are expected to move both bills very soon.
