September 7th Special Session Postponed, Multiple Injury Trust Fund Agreement Near

Because legislative leaders and Governor Keating have not been able to reach an agreement on legislation that would fix problems with the Multiple Injury Trust Fund, state lawmakers will not be returning for a special session on Friday, September 7th as scheduled, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor.

Legislators and representatives of the governor's office worked late into the evening Wednesday in an effort to draft compromise legislation on a permanent fix for the MITF, but they were not able to reach a final agreement. The MITF, which makes payments to partially and totally disabled workers, is expected to run out of money before the end of the month.

Senator Taylor remained optimistic that an agreement would soon be reached, allowing lawmakers to reconvene the special session to address the issue.

"I applaud Governor Keating for amending the call and adding the MITF to the special session agenda. I'm disappointed that we won't be able to resolve the MITF problems this week, but we are getting closer to an agreement that will help the disabled workers who rely on trust fund payments," said Senator Taylor.

"In the days to come, we will continue to work with Governor Keating and his representatives to find a workable solution. I'm confident that we will reach an agreement and reconvene the special session as soon as possible."