Okla. Gov. Henry Seeks Bipartisan Compromise for Workers’ Comp Reform

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry is calling on legislative leaders to work toward a bipartisan compromise on workers’ compensation reform, saying the issue is too important to fall prey to political disagreements.

Two major workers comp reform measures are now before the Legislature. Senate Bill 846 by Sen. Charlie Laster is based on the work of a bipartisan task force appointed by Gov. Henry last year. House Bill 2046 by Rep. Fred Morgan has the support of House and Senate Republicans.

While the two bills contain similar provisions, there are also some differences. Gov. Henry believes legislative leaders should work to draft one omnibus bill that includes the best features of both measures.

“With two proposals on the table, it just makes sense to pull the best ideas from both and merge them into one piece of legislation,” said the governor. “I believe the legislation based on the bipartisan task force’s report does the best job of helping business and protecting injured workers, but I know provisions in the other bill have merit as well. I think legislative leaders should start working on compromise legislation and avoid the line-in-the-sand pronouncements that have derailed other bills in the past.”

Some supporters of HB 2046 have called for the Legislature to approve the bill as is without any amendments or changes. Critics, however, say the measure has some fundamental flaws that will cost businesses money in the long run. For example, HB 2046 initially sought to eliminate a medical fee schedule designed to reduce health care costs in the comp system. It also establishes a new ombudsman program that opponents say would cost the state millions of dollars to administer.

Gov. Henry said lawmakers should work through areas of disagreement and send him a workers’ comp reform bill as quickly as possible.

“Every comprehensive piece of legislation that makes it through the legislative process and to the governor’s desk is the product of compromise. Adopting a my-way-or-the-highway attitude just sets the stage for a legislative train wreck and no guarantee of success,” said the governor.

“Through give and take, good faith negotiations, we were able to strike a compromise on the higher education bond issue earlier this session. Had one of the negotiating parties taken a my-way-or-the-highway approach in that process, higher education would have walked away from the process empty-handed. We couldn’t afford that on the college bond plan and we can’t afford it on workers’ compensation reform. Compromise and bipartisan cooperation are critical.”

SB 846 has been approved by the Senate, but has not yet been heard in a House committee. HB 2046 has passed the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee and is awaiting consideration in the full Senate.

“I’m pleased the Senate committee has heard and advanced the House bill. I hope the House will soon follow suit with the Senate legislation,” added the governor.

Topics Legislation Workers' Compensation Oklahoma