Bredesen to propose workers’ comp reform if lawmakers don’t
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Phil Bredesen told business leaders from across the state Wednesday that if lawmakers can’t agree on reforms to the workers’ compensation system, he’ll propose some.
Some legislators have complained about a lack of progress in determining whether there is a problem within the system that reimburses workers for on-the-job injuries and, if so, what to do about it.
Bredesen told about 300 members of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry at a luncheon that he is satisfied with where the Legislature is. “I’m convinced this process is moving forward in a rational, reasonable manner,” the governor said.
Several committees have spent weeks hearing from business representatives, labor unions, attorneys who represent injured workers, doctors and others, but no consensus legislation has emerged.
“If it gets to the point where something is not going to happen through this process that I’ve bought into through the Legislature, we’ll find some alternative way to do it,” Bredesen told reporters. “I want to sign a workers’ comp reform bill this year.”
Sen. Jerry Cooper, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said last week that he hoped to have something from his colleagues or the governor to consider before the end of the month or lawmakers wouldn’t have enough time to pass anything. Legislators are hoping to wrap up the legislative session in early May.
There’s some speculation that lawmakers are stalling until after April 1, the deadline for potential opponents to qualify to run in this year’s elections. No matter what stand they take, legislators almost certainly will anger a powerful special interest group that could direct campaign contributions elsewhere.
The driving force behind an overhaul of the workers’ compensation system is the business lobby, which has convinced Bredesen that its costs are so high they’re hurting the state’s ability to compete for jobs.
One problem they cite often is Tennessee’s use of the courts to resolve workers’ comp cases.
Crawford Gallimore of Hamilton-Ryker Co., a staffing and logistics business in Martin, said after the governor’s speech that the current system automatically creates “an adversarial relationship” between the employer and the injured worker, who immediately hires an attorney. The courts also don’t provide the same awards consistently across the state.
Trial lawyers — which have been at odds with the business lobby on this issue for years — say businesses are leaving Tennessee in search of cheaper wages instead of lower workers’ comp costs.
Gallimore said Tennessee has needed significant changes to its workers’ comp system for about 15 years.
“This is the closest we’ve ever come to meaningful reform,” he said. “It’s very analogous to TennCare. There are a number of things that need to be fixed. The entire model is flawed.”
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On the Net:
State government: http://www.Tennessee.gov
Chamber of Commerce and Industry: http://www.tnchamber.org