Req. No. 1143 Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STATE OF OKLAHOMA 1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021) SENATE BILL 604 By: Rader AS INTRODUCED An Act relating to the Self-insurance Guaranty Fund; amending Section 98, Chapter 208, O.S.L. 2013, as last amended by Section 1, Chapter 164, O.S.L. 2019 (85A O.S. Supp. 2020, Section 98), which relates to funds to be transferred to Self -insurance Guaranty Fund; removing certain Tax Commission notifi cation requirement; and providing an effective date. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY Section 98, Chapter 208, O.S.L. 2013, as last amended by Section 1, Chapter 164, O.S.L. 2019 (85A O.S. Supp. 2020, Section 98), i s amended to read as follows: Section 98. The Self-insurance Guaranty Fund shall be derived from the following sources: 1. Any unexpended funds , including interest thereon, held by the State Treasurer in the Workers ’ Compensation Self-insurance Guaranty Fund transferred to the Self -insurance Guaranty Fun d as provided in Section 124 of this title; 2. In the event the net fund balance falls below Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000.00) , the Workers’ Compensation Req. No. 1143 Page 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Commission shall make an assessme nt against each private self - insurer and group self -insurance association based on an assessment rate to be determined by the commissioners, not exceeding two percent (2%) per annum of actual pai d losses of the self -insurer during the preceding calendar ye ar, payable to the Tax Commission for deposit to the fund. The assessment against private self - insurers shall be determined using a rate equal to the proportion that the deficiency in the fund a ttributable to private self - insurers bears to the actual paid losses of all private self - insurers for the year p eriod of January 1 through December 31 preceding the assessment. The assessment against group self - insurance associations shall be determined u sing a rate equal to the proportion that the deficiency in ex cess of the surplus of the Group Self-Insurance Association Guaranty Fund at the date of the transfer attributable to group self -insurance associations bears to the actual paid losses of all grou p self-insurance associations cumulatively for any calendar y ear preceding the assessment. Each self-insurer shall provide the Workers ’ Compensation Commission with such information as the Commission may determine is necessary to effectuate the purposes o f this paragraph. For purposes of t his paragraph, “actual paid losses” means all medical and indemnity payments, including temporary disability, permanent disability, and death benefits, and excluding loss adjustment expenses and reserves. Req. No. 1143 Page 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 a. The assessment shall be paid within thirty (30) calendar days after the d ate the commissioners notify the self-insurer of the assessment. b. A private employer or group self -insurance association which ceases to be a self -insurer shall remain liable for any and all assessments of the self -insurer as provided in this paragraph b ased on actual paid losses for the calendar year pe riod preceding the assessment. c. Failure of a self-insurer to pay, or timely pay, an assessment required by this paragraph, or to report payment of the same to the Commission with in ten (10) days of payment, shall be grounds for revocation by the Commission of the self-insurer’s permit to self- insure in this state, after notice and hearing. A former self-insurer failing to make payments required by this paragraph promptly and corr ectly, or failing to report payment of the same to the Commission within ten (10) days of payment, shall be subject to administrative penalties as allowed by law , including, but not limited to, a fine in the amount of Fiv e Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or an am ount equal to one percent (1%) of the unpaid amount, whichever is greater, to be paid and deposited to the credit of the Workers’ Compensation Commission Revolving Fund Req. No. 1143 Page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 created in Section 28.1 of this title. It shall be the duty of the Tax Commission to c ollect the assessment provided for in this paragraph. The Tax Commission is authorized to bring an action for recovery of any delinquent or unpaid assessments, and may enforce payment of the assessment by proceeding in accordance with Section 79 of this t itle. d. An impaired self-insurer shall be exempt from assessments beginnin g on the date of the Commission ’s designation until the Commission determines the self - insurer is no longer impaired . e. The Tax Commission shall determine the fund balance as of March 1 and September 1 of each year, and when otherwise requested by the Wor kers’ Compensation Commission, and shall advise the Workers ’ Compensation Commission in writing within thirty (30) days of each such determination; 3. Any interest accruing on moni es paid into the fund; a nd 4. Monies transferred pursuant to Section 99 of this title. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2021. 58-1-1143 QD 1/20/2021 10:31:15 PM