ARCHIVED  April 1, 1996

Legislature tackles reform of workers’ comp

As the Colorado House and Senate work their way into the second half of the 60th General Assembly, workers’ compensation reform is working its way through both legislative branches.

More than 10 bills addressing the system that regulates payments to employees injured on the job have already been introduced — most of them in the House, where they can generate momentum and support before entering the less friendly Senate chamber.

Much of the proposed legislation is intended to close perceived loopholes in the 1991 rewrite of the workers’ comp system, Senate Bill 218, authored by Sen. Tom Norton, R-Greeley.

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Norton is sponsoring three such bills, including House Bills 1090 and 1235.

Already passed by the House, HB-1090, Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Mental Stress, aims to limit the period of time an employee can collect wages while not working because of psychological trauma. The 12-week limit would apply to mental stress related to an on-the-job injury or a traumatic event experienced while working. Under current regulation, no time cap exists.

House Bill 1235 also seeks to institute a time limit. The bill would put a statute of limitations on penalties assessed when a worker’s compensation record can’t be found. Currently, if a company cannot locate the paperwork associated with a workers’ compensation case, regardless of how old the case may be, a fine can be leveled equaling wages plus interest since the case was filed.

The proposed bill, cosponsored by Rep. Chuck Berry, R-Colorado Springs, would limit to seven years the time a company needs to maintain such records.

Zoning in on enterprise zones

The Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance is supporting two bills that approach enterprise-zone reform from slightly different angles, said Sandra Potter, issues manager for the lobbying group representing the Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland chambers of commerce.

Senate Bill 193, sponsored by Norton, Sen. Gigi Dennis, R-Pueblo, and Rep. Dave Owen, R-Greeley, aims to tighten the program granting tax credits for job creation and economic development.

House Bill 1184, a primary-jobs tax-credit bill, states that if an employer creates primary jobs and meets a set of criteria (including exporting of 75 percent of its goods, paying an average wage higher than the county’s average wage and hiring 60 percent of its workers from within Colorado) it can qualify for all enterprise-zone credits. If passed, the bill would be a layover of the entire state to the enterprise zone system, Potter said.

Realtor reform proposed

With House Bill 1107, the Colorado Association of Realtors is trying to abolish the Realtor sales license and make the broker license the sole Realtor license in Colorado.

The association is attempting “to raise the educational level of each licensee in the state,´ said Dan Stroh, president of the 700-member Citizens for Recognition and Preservation of Property Rights. The bill would also require continuing education to renew that license every three years. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Andy McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Ben Alexander, R-Montrose.

As the Colorado House and Senate work their way into the second half of the 60th General Assembly, workers’ compensation reform is working its way through both legislative branches.

More than 10 bills addressing the system that regulates payments to employees injured on the job have already been introduced — most of them in the House, where they can generate momentum and support before entering the less friendly Senate chamber.

Much of the proposed legislation is intended to close perceived loopholes in the 1991 rewrite of the workers’ comp system, Senate Bill 218, authored by Sen. Tom Norton, R-Greeley.

Norton is sponsoring three…

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