News Category: Workers’ Compensation Reform
| Legislation, Workers' Compensation, Workers' Compensation Reform
The Facts about SB 10
There's a lot of misinformation about N.C. Senate Bill 10, which is heading for a vote in the N.C. House on Tuesday, Feb. 12. If passed, the bill would allow Gov. Pat McCrory to dismantled the state workers' compensation court and other appointed state commissions. It would give the governor the right to remove workers comp judges whose terms have not expired and reappoint a new slate of politically biased judges who favor the interests of insurance and big business over the rights of injured workers. The bill would also remove certain superio ...
Read More | 2 Comments| Legislation, Personal Injury, Workers' Compensation, Workers' Compensation Reform
Elections and Tort Reform
Yesterday, we wrote about the grassroots effort afoot to educate people about the realities of so-called "tort reform" through viewings of the documentary, "Hot Coffee." Here are some concrete things you can do to take action. It starts by being an informed voter and voicing your opinions to your elected officials and those running for office. ...
Read More | No Comments| House Bill 709/Senate Bill 544, Workers' Compensation Reform
McCrory wants more bad workers’ comp changes
A scenario we predicted a year ago -- more drastic and draconian changes to workers' compensation laws in North Carolina -- could become reality if Pat McCrory wins his bid for the governor's seat. McCrory, a Charlotte Republican and former mayor of the Queen City, is running against Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton. In a speech last week to National Federation of Independent Business. According to the Charlotte Observer: "He said more workers’ compensation reform is needed. The state’s workers’ comp law underwent major changes in the legislatur ...
Read More | 2 Comments| Brain Injury, House Bill 709/Senate Bill 544, Legislation, Workers' Compensation, Workers' Compensation Reform
Virginia brain injury workers’ comp loophole not closed after all
Last year, as we were fighting against the bad workers' compensation bill before the N.C. legislature, we shared with you the story of Mike Gentry, a Virginia satellite installer who suffered a brain injury after falling from a roof. Two days after Gentry awoke from a coma, an insurance adjuster asked him if he remembered the fall. He said no; at that point, he couldn’t remember anything. And that’s all the insurance company, Zurich North America, needed to deny Gentry’s claim. Gentry’s family fought a 21-month battle to receive wor ...
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Workers’ Comp “Reform” Could be on Horizon Again
The trade publication, Business Insurance, has an article about the compromise version of House Bill 709, the workers' comp bill. And it's clear from that article that we could be in for another battle over workers' compensation if the political climate in North Carolina changes, particularly if Republicans preserve their majority in the N.C. General Assembly and gain control of the governor's mansion in the next election. “The bill does not go as far as business-interested groups would like it to go, and it’s likely they will revisit t ...
Read More | One Comment| Workers' Compensation Reform
Compromise reached on workers’ comp bill
A compromise version of H709 was voted on yesterday by the full N.C. House of Representatives, and a final vote is expected later this week. The consensus bill, which resulted from hours of negotiations between parties on both sides of the issue, "preserves the backbone of our workers' compensation system that pays fair compensation to injured workers at a reasonable cost to the employers," said Dick Taylor, president of the N.C. Advocates for Justice. "Many may feel that the bill does not go far enough to reduce costs and others will feel the ...
Read More | No Comments| House Bill 709/Senate Bill 544, Workers' Compensation Reform
Vote Pending on Workers’ Comp Bill; Contact Legislators TODAY and plan to attend hearing Thursday
A vote is pending on the bad workers' comp bill, H709. The N.C. House Select Committee on Tort Reform meets Thursday (May 12), and it's possible that members will vote on the bill during that meeting. For that reason, it's crucial that you once again contact members of that committee and your own elected officials in Raleigh to tell them not to support this bad legislation. If House Bill 709 passes this committee, it's very likely that it will become law. Find contact information for the Tort Reform committee here, and find out how to contact y ...
Read More | One Comment| Workers' Compensation Reform
Contact Senate sponsors of workers’ comp reform bill
Companion legislation to the insurance-backed workers' comp reform bill, H709, was iintroduced today in the N.C. Senate. The proposed legislation would strip injured workers of their rights and protections and eliminate medical choice and privacy while putting insurance companies in control of the workers' comp system in our state. For the sake of every working person in North Carolina, we have to stop this bill from becoming law. Take the time TODAY to contact your elected officials in Raleigh. Call, email and write to the sponsors ...
Read More | No Comments| Workers' Compensation Reform
Sign Online Petition Against Workers’ Comp Reform
Contacting your legislators and Gov. Bev Perdue directly is the most effective means of letting them know that you don't support the insurance-led effort to reform workers' compensation and rob injured workers of their rights. Fellow attorney Jesse Shapiro, an ally in the fight against workers' comp reform, has created an easy way for voters to speak out on this important issue. He's created an online petition that will be sent to Gov. Bev Perdue, as well as members of the N.C. House of Representatives and the N.C. Senate. I encourage you to ad ...
Read More | 15 Comments| Workers' Compensation Reform
Contact “Blue Dog Democrats” about workers’ comp
The News & Observer's Rob Christensen writes that so-called Blue Dog Democrats in the N.C. House of Representatives are some of the most influential members of the N.C. General Assembly. The Blue Dogs are conservative Democrats. Christensen's article outlines how much power the Blue Dogs wield when it comes to contentious issues. They also are key in upholding or overriding the governor's veto. On the issue of workers' compensation, it's important for constituents to reach out to these conservative Democrats to educate them about ...
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