OK
Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1013

Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1013 Compare Versions

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28+ENGROSSED HOUSE AMENDME NTS
29+ TO
30+ENGROSSED SENATE BILL NO . 1013 By: Daniels of the Senate
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34+ Kannady of the House
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4-An Act
5-ENROLLED SENATE
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40+An Act relating to workers’ compensation compliance
41+investigations; amending 51 O.S. 2011, Section
42+24A.12, which relates to litigation and investigatory
43+files; authorizing Workers’ Compensation Commission
44+to keep certain files confidential; amending Sections
45+40, as amended by Section 16, Chapter 476, O.S.L.
46+2019, and 105, Chapter 208, O.S.L. 2013 (85A O.S.
47+Supp. 2020, Sections 40 and 105), which relate to
48+failure to secure compensation and employees as
49+witnesses; authorizing Workers’ Compensation
50+Commission to keep certain files confidential;
51+construing provisions; updating statutory reference;
52+and declaring an emergency .
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58+AMENDMENT NO. 1. Page 1, Lines 6 through 12, strike the title to
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60+"[ workers' compensation – authorizing Workers'
61+Compensation Commission to keep certain files
62+confidential –
63+ emergency ]"
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65+AMENDMENT NO. 2. Page 1, Line 15, strike the enacti ng clause
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67+ENGR. H. A. to ENGR. S. B. NO. 1013 Page 2 1
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92+Passed the House of Representatives the 13th day of April, 2021.
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98+Presiding Officer of the House of
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102+Passed the Senate the ____ day of __________, 2021.
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108+Presiding Officer of the Senate
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136+ENGROSSED SENATE
6137 BILL NO. 1013 By: Daniels of the Senate
7138
8139 and
9140
10141 Kannady of the House
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15146 An Act relating to workers’ compensation compliance
16147 investigations; amending 51 O.S. 2011, Section
17148 24A.12, which relates to litigation and investigatory
18149 files; authorizing Workers’ Compensation Commission
19150 to keep certain files confidential; amending Sections
20151 40, as amended by Section 16, Chapter 476, O.S.L.
21152 2019, and 105, Chapter 208, O.S.L. 2013 (85A O.S.
22153 Supp. 2020, Sections 40 and 105), which relate to
23154 failure to secure compensation and emplo yees as
24155 witnesses; authorizing Workers’ Compensation
25156 Commission to keep certain files confidential;
26157 construing provisions; updating statutory reference;
27158 and declaring an emergency.
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33-SUBJECT: Worker’s compensation complianc e investigations
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35164 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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37165 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 51 O.S. 2011, Section 24A.12, is
38166 amended to read as follows:
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40167 Section 24A.12. Except as otherwise provided by state or local
41168 law, the Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma and agency
42169 attorneys authorized by law, the Workers’ Compensation Commission,
43170 the office of the district attorney of any county of the state, and
44171 the office of the municipal attorney of any municipality may keep
45172 its litigation files and investigatory reports confidential.
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48-ENR. S. B. NO. 1013 Page 2
49199 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY Section 40, Chapter 208, O.S.L.
50200 2013, as amended by Section 16, Chapter 476, O.S.L. 2019 (85A O.S.
51201 Supp. 2020, Section 40), is amended to read as follows:
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53202 Section 40. A. 1. Any employer who fails to secure
54203 compensation required under this act the Administrative Workers’
55204 Compensation Act, upon conviction, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
56205 and subject to a fine of up to Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) to
57206 be deposited in the Workers’ Compensation Commission Revolving Fund.
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59207 2. This subsection shall not affect any other liability of the
60208 employer under this act the Administrative Workers’ Compensation
61209 Act.
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63210 B. 1. Whenever the Workers’ Compensation Commission has reason
64211 to believe that any employer required to secure the payment of
65212 compensation under this act the Administrative Workers’ Compensation
66213 Act has failed to do so, the Commission shall serve on the employer
67214 a proposed judgment declaring the employer to be in violation of
68215 this act the Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act and containing
69216 the amount, if any, of the civil penalty to be assessed against the
70217 employer under paragraph 5 of this subsection.
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72218 2. a. An employer may contest a proposed judgment of the
73219 Commission issued under paragraph 1 of this subsection
74220 by filing with the Commi ssion, within twenty (20) days
75221 of receipt of the proposed judgment, a written request
76222 for a hearing.
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78249 b. The request for a hearing does not need to be in any
79250 particular form but shall specify the grounds on which
80251 the person contests the proposed judgment, t he
81252 proposed assessment, or both.
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83253 c. If a written request for hearing is not filed with the
84254 Commission within the time specified in subparagraph a
85255 of this paragraph, the proposed judgment, the proposed
86256 penalty, or both, shall be a final judgment of the
87257 Commission and shall not be subject to further review
88258 by any court, except if the employer shows good cause
89259 why it did not timely contest the judgment or penalty.
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92-ENR. S. B. NO. 1013 Page 3
93260 d. A proposed judgment by the Commission under this
94261 section shall be prima facie correct, and the burden
95262 is on the employer to prove that the proposed judgment
96263 is incorrect.
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98264 3. a. If the employer alleges that a carrier has contracted
99265 to provide it workers’ compensation insurance coverage
100266 for the period in question, the employer shall include
101267 the allegation in its request for hearing and shall
102268 name the carrier.
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104269 b. The Commission shall promptly notify the carrier of
105270 the employer’s allegation and of the date of hearing.
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107271 c. The carrier shall promptly, and no later than five (5)
108272 days before the hearing, res pond in writing to the
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109299 employer’s allegation by providing evidence of
110300 coverage for the period in question or by
111301 affirmatively denying the employer’s allegation.
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113302 4. Hearings under this section shall be procedurally conducted
114303 as provided in Sections 69 thro ugh 78 of this title.
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116304 5. The Commission may assess a fine against an employer who
117305 fails to secure the payment of compensation in an amount up to One
118306 Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per day of violation payable to the
119307 Workers’ Compensation Commission Revolvin g Fund, not to exceed a
120308 total of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) for the first
121309 violation.
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123310 6. If an employer fails to secure the payment of compensation
124311 or pay any civil penalty assessed against the employer after a
125312 judgment issued under this section h as become final by operation of
126313 law or on appeal, the Commission may petition the Oklahoma County
127314 District Court or the district court of the county where the
128315 employer’s principal place of business is located for an order
129316 enjoining the employer from engagi ng in further employment until
130317 such time as the employer secures the payment of compensation or
131318 makes full payment of all civil penalties.
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133319 7. Upon any penalty becoming final under this section, the
134320 Commission may institute collection proceedings against a ny assets
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136-ENR. S. B. NO. 1013 Page 4
137321 of the employer independently or in district court including, but
138322 not limited to, an asset hearing, garnishment of income and wages,
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139349 judgment lien, or an intercept of an income tax refund consistent
140350 with Section 205.2 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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142351 8. Information subject to subsection A or B of Section 4 -508 of
143352 Title 40 of the Oklahoma Statutes may be disclosed to the employees
144353 of the Commission for purposes of investigation and enforcement of
145354 workers’ compensation coverage requirements pu rsuant to this title,
146355 and such information shall be admissible in any hearing before an
147356 administrative law judge of the Commission.
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149357 9. Litigation files and investigatory reports of the Commission
150358 arising from enforcement of the provisions of this section shall be
151359 confidential pursuant to Section 24A.12 of Title 51 of the Oklahoma
152360 Statutes.
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154361 SECTION 3. AMENDATORY Section 105, Chapter 208, O.S.L.
155362 2013 (85A O.S. Supp. 2020, Section 105), is amended to read as
156363 follows:
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158364 Section 105. A. No employee of the Workers’ Compensation
159365 Commission shall be competent to testify on any matter concerning
160366 any information the employee has received through the performance of
161367 the employee’s duties under the provisions of this act the
162368 Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act; provided, however, such
163369 provision shall not be construed to prohibit testimony by an
164370 attorney of the Compliance Division of the Commission or an
165371 investigator of the Division called to provide testimony by the
166372 attorney.
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168399 B. The commissioners and employees of the Commission shall not
169400 solicit employment for any attorney or physician nor shall they
170401 recommend or refer any claimant or employer to an attorney or
171402 physician. If any employee of the Commission makes such a
172403 solicitation, recomme ndation or reference, that person, upon
173404 conviction, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable, for each
174405 offense, by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00)
175406 or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one (1) year, or
176407 by both such fine and imprisonment. The Commission shall
177408 immediately terminate the employment of any employee who is guilty
178409 of such solicitation, recommendation or reference. A commissioner
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181410 guilty of such solicitation, recommendation or reference shall be
182411 subject to removal from office.
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184412 C. No administrative law judge shall engage in any ex parte
185413 communication with any party to an action pending before the
186414 Commission or with any witness or medical provider regarding the
187415 merits of a specific matter pending before the judge for resolution.
188416 Any violation of this provision shall subject the judge to
189417 disqualification from the action or matter upon presentation of an
190418 application for disqualification.
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192419 SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preser vation
193420 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
194421 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
195422 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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198-ENR. S. B. NO. 1013 Page 6
199-Passed the Senate the 19th day of May, 2021.
449+Passed the Senate the 8th day of March, 2021.
200450
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203453 Presiding Officer of the Senate
204454
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206-Passed the House of Representatives the 25th day of May, 2021.
456+Passed the House of Representatives the ____ day of __________,
457+2021.
207458
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210461 Presiding Officer of the House
211462 of Representatives
212463
213-OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
214-Received by the Office of the Governor this _______ _____________
215-day of _________________ __, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
216-By: _______________________________ __
217-Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _____ ____
218-day of _________________ __, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
219464
220- _________________________________
221- Governor of the State of Oklahoma
222-
223-
224-OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
225-Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this _______ ___
226-day of __________________, 20 _______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
227-By: _______________________________ __