Jefferson City, MO – Gov. Jay Nixon recently vetoed a bill that would have required the state government to create a database of every Missourian who has ever filed a workers’ compensation claim, and allowed employers to easily access this information online:
“There is a stark contrast between lawmakers’ rhetoric on the issue of privacy, and their record,” Gov. Nixon said. “While professing to champion privacy rights, this General Assembly quietly passed a bill to create – and allow broad access to – a new electronic database containing the personal information of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Missourians. This misguided legislation would have invaded Missourians’ right to privacy by making their personal information available to employers on a government website without their consent. Invading Missourians’ privacy will not grow our economy or move our state forward.”
Senate Bill 34 would have required the Division of Workers’ Compensation to compile a database of all Missourians who have filed workers’ compensation claims. The bill also would have required employers be given access to this database through the Division’s website. Under current law, workers’ compensation information is available, but only under limited circumstances and subject to strict privacy protections, including requiring the permission of the prospective employee. These privacy protections would have been undone by Senate Bill 34.
Read the Governor’s veto message on Senate Bill 34 here (PDF).
Source: MO Governor’s Office