The Assembly Appropriations Committee reviewed 178 fiscal bills last week, including four impacting the workers’ comp system. Of the four workers’ comp bills, one cleared the Committee, and three others were parked in the Committee’s Suspense File for an up or down vote later this month. Clearing the Committee was SB 636 by Sen. Dave …
The California Legislature is on its annual summer recess, but before legislators left Sacramento for their home districts, they advanced nearly a dozen workers’ comp bills before a key deadline. Under legislative rules, bills had to clear the policy committee of the other house to still be considered this year without a rule waiver. The …
The author of SB 636 made good on his word and amended out a provision that would have created a “duty of care” for physicians performing utilization review services for private employers in California. The bill still would require these physicians to be licensed in California, but new amendments would give employers a year to …
The California legislature passed a critical deadline requiring bills to advance out of their houses of origin by June 2nd or be held over until next year. Insiders say a greater percentage of bills cleared that hurdle this year compared to the historical norm. They say it has everything to do with the total control …
A handful of workers’ comp-related bills had already passed out of their houses of origin, but the majority faced a do-or-die deadline last week to clear the Assembly and Senate fiscal committees. The pending workers’ comp bills cleared the fiscal review, while some are advancing in amended form. Moving ahead of the deadline were two …
The Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee passed a bill by its chairman to require physicians performing utilization review functions to be licensed in California, but only if they are reviewing a medical treatment request for a private sector employee. Sen. Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley) is reviving an old idea to require state licensure …
At its hearing this morning, the Senate Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement Committee is scheduled to review SB 631 by committee chair Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley). The bill currently calls for a study of gender equity issues in the workers’ compensation system, but it could ultimately be much more woke. The proposal follows years of …
With several workers’ comp bills on the agenda, the Assembly Insurance Committee will hold its first policy hearing of the session next week. Legislators are also getting busy amending bills already introduced, including one to expand public disclosure of contractors’ workers’ comp policies. Next week, three workers’ comp bills are on the Assembly Insurance Committee …