|
|
Nonsubscription Article
June 22,
2009
Texas Legislature Affirms Nonsubscription by
Defeating Five Proposed Bills
 When
the Texas Legislature ended its session June 1, 2009, employers opting out of
the state workers' compensation system found themselves in a stronger position
than ever.
Legislators rejected five separate pieces of legislation that would have
required burdensome data collection, limited the use of arbitration and exposed
nonsubscribers to discrimination lawsuits.
The results underscore the firm legal standing afforded nonsubscribing companies
that choose to have more control over their businesses. Defeated legislation
included:
House Bill 32 - would have allowed injured employees to sue an employer
if they felt the employer discriminated against them because they filed a
negligence claim.
House Bill 33 - would have paved the way to unduly burden employers to
collect benefit data from nonsubscribers and effectively eliminate arbitration
for negligence claims.
House Bill 34 - was proposed to effectively eliminate arbitration for
settling negligence claims.
House Bill 35 - would have required collection of medical and wage
benefit data as well as private settlement information from nonsubscribers.
House Bill 2696 - proposed numerous changes to the Texas Arbitration Act
that were problematic for employers.
We extend special thanks and recognition to the industry organizations that
contributed to the successful results, including:
-
Texas Alliance of Nonsubscribers
-
Texas Association of Responsible Nonsubscribers (TXANS)
-
Texas Association of Business
-
National Federation of Independent Business
-
Texas Hotel and Lodging Association
-
Texas Restaurant Association
-
Texas Retailers Association
Texas provides a unique and rewarding environment for businesses that choose
to provide superior protection for employees and simultaneously allocate
more funds to prevention of work-related injuries. We thank the Texas
legislature for reaffirming the highly effective nonsubscriber option.
View full directory of
Nonsubscriber department staff.
|
