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Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 133
BY REPRESENTATIVE BROADWATER
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council to study reemployment
and retraining programs for injured workers, to project the amount of funding that
is needed, to look for sources of funding, and to report its findings to the House
Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations no later than December 31, 2012.
WHEREAS, the return of an injured employee to the workforce as soon as possible
is beneficial for both the worker and employer; and
WHEREAS, the retraining and reemployment of an injured employee who, due to
an injury, is no longer able to perform the duties for which he was trained is imperative; and
WHEREAS, the longer an injured worker is out of the workforce, the more likely he
is to remain out of the workforce indefinitely; and
WHEREAS, on March 29, 2012, Representative Broadwater proposed House Bill
No. 360 to the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations which would have
created the Injured Employee Reemployment and Retraining Fund; and
WHEREAS, although most parties were in agreement with the concept, many believe
it is cost prohibitive; and
WHEREAS, funding sources that involve federal match dollars are available to the
Louisiana Workforce Commission for various programs such as Louisiana Rehabilitative
Services and the Second Injury Fund; and
WHEREAS, an injured worker reemployment and retraining program could be
funded with the help of the federal dollars; and
WHEREAS, the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council is statutorily created by
R.S. 23:1294 and charged with monitoring and reporting to the governor and the legislature
the implementation and administration of workers' compensation claims and related issues;
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WHEREAS, the director of the office of workers' compensation administration of
the Louisiana Workforce Commission is the chairman of the Workers' Compensation
Advisory Council; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate that the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council
study the feasibility of creating reemployment and retraining programs for injured workers.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Workers' Compensation Advisory
Council to study reemployment and retraining programs for injured workers, to project the
amount of funding that is needed, to look for sources of funding, and to report its findings
to the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations no later than December 31, 2012.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Louisiana Workforce Commission.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES