Dear Editor:
The Missouri House Special Committee on Litigation Reform has been in the news for drama occurring during the first Senate Bill 43 hearing. SB 43 aims to make it harder for employees to prove workplace discrimination. Its sponsor, state Sen. Gary Romine, owns a business that stands accused of discrimination. Committee chair Rep. Bill Lant famously disconnected the microphone during last month's hearing as Rod Chapel, president of the Missouri NAACP, attempted to testify on behalf of his constituency regarding the detrimental effects of workplace discrimination. Lant has steadfastly refused to apologize, and Speaker Todd Richardson has refused to replace Lant as committee chair.
Ten of the 13 committee members are white men. Only two women and one person of color, representing demographics that have been and continue to be systematically discriminated against in the American workplace, have been assigned to this committee. The majority of committee members and its chair represent the most entitled demographic in society and the most likely alleged to discriminate.
Speaker Todd Richardson's Special Committee on Litigation Reform is very special indeed. It is a sham and a farce, transparently created explicitly to "reform" all legal recourse for vulnerable workers out of existence.
Issue-oriented letters to [email protected] are welcome. All letters should be limited to 400 words in length; longer letters may be edited to conform to the specified length. The author's name must appear with the letter, and the name, address and phone number provided for verification. Letters that cannot be verified by telephone will not be published.