Missouri Chamber CEO delivers talk in Warrenton

Posted 7/30/21

Dan Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, addressed a local gathering of the Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce on July 12. Mehan delivered an overview of how …

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Missouri Chamber CEO delivers talk in Warrenton

Posted

Dan Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, addressed a local gathering of the Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce on July 12. Mehan delivered an overview of how state government actions over the last year have affected Missouri businesses.

Mehan said the Missouri Chamber supported a successful legislative push this year to increase Missouri’s motor fuel tax, stating that a robust transportation system supports economic growth.

“Missouri has the seventh longest highway system in the country, which is a major asset for a state that is centrally located,” Mehan said. “The Missouri Chamber brought together a broad coalition of supporters to pass (the gas tax increase) that will repair and modernize our roads and bridges and create more than 17,000 jobs.”

Two more legislative topics Mehan addressed have been the subject of debate for several years. One is a provision that will require all online retailers to begin collecting sales tax for items they sell in Missouri, putting online and physical stores on a level playing field. The other was a law that establishes a statewide prescription drug monitoring program to prevent people from “pill shopping” at multiple pharmacies.

One of the other priorities for 2021 has been to protect businesses from COVID-19 lawsuits, Mehan said.

“The pandemic created a window for opportunistic trial lawyers to file frivolous lawsuits against the hardworking employers of Missouri who were trying to keep their businesses open and their employees employed,” Mehan said. Legislative action now shields those employers from COVID-related lawsuits unless the employer engaged in willful misconduct that causes an actual exposure to COVID, which a plaintiff must also prove caused real harm, Mehan explained.

Other legislative efforts the Missouri Chamber supported included workforce development, internet and utility modernization, and unemployment insurance support.

Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce

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