WSIA's Week 5 Legislative Update (Week of February 8-12)
Washington's 60-day legislative session hit its midpoint this week, with action moving from the policy and fiscal committees of the House and Senate to the floor of both chambers. Next Wednesday, February 17th is the deadline by which bills not necessary to implement the state's budget must pass their house of origin to remain alive.
It was a relatively slow week for the workers' compensation and workplace safety issues we're tracking.
Of interest, the Department released the interim report of the Benefit Accuracy Working Group, created by the Legislature last year to look at wage simplification issues. We expect at least the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee and possibly the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee to get a briefing on the report by the Department. The interim report contained a problem statement, described some of the evidence the group has reviewed, and sketches next steps for the group's discussions before it is scheduled to wrap up this fall. More about the report here.
House Bill 2805, which requires Labor & Industries to adopt a rule mandating hazardous exposure reporting for firefighters, passed the House 80-17 on Thursday. Along with the Association of Washington Cities, WSIA sought a "no" vote on the bill particularly after it was amended in committee to place the full cost of maintaining the reporting database on employers.
Meanwhile, WSIA pulled support from Senate Bill 6602, which as introduced would have given self-insured employers the authority to issue allowance, interlocutory, and denial orders. The bill was amended in committee to remove denial order authority, and turned into, in essence, a cost shift. We've explained our desire for enhanced claims management authority to our friends in the Legislature, in accordance with performance audit findings and the new audit process. We intend to develop a more comprehensive strategy around the issue for the 2017 session.
Bigger issues that could receive a floor vote before next Wednesday's deadline include significant expansion of the firefighter occupational disease presumption (WSIA opposes), social security offset removal for workers already on social security and working part time (WSIA is monitoring), and tightening occupational disease coverage (WSIA supports).
As always, please contact us with any questions, concerns, positions, or comments on any of these matters.
Click below for downloadable bill tracking sheets, current through this week: