Increase In Fees For Workers Comp. Insurance Cost Employers $2 Billion::

HB 2764 that was introduced by the Trial Lawyers Association will cost Oregon Small Business Owners an additional $2 Billion Dollars. House Bill 2764 would raise attorney fees and create new scenarios in which fees could be awarded. Before the reforms of 1990, the state’s system was in crisis: Employer costs and worker injury rates were among the highest in the nation, while worker benefits were among the lowest. Since then, however, employer costs have declined more than 60 percent, worker benefits are consistently at or above the national median, injury rates have decreased more than 50 percent and litigation has declined significantly. And while other states have been reducing benefits, Oregon’s system has remained steady. But despite reforms, workers’ compensation premiums are still one of the biggest costs of doing business, so an increase means employers would have to decide between hiring more workers or approving requested overtime for current employees, Meekcoms wrote in the Salem Business Journal.
http://www.nfib.com/content/news/oregon/oregon-small-businesses-could-face-5-percent-workers-compensation-increase-69510/
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