S-1068               _______________________________________________

                                    SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 114

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senators Warnke, Newhouse, Vognild, Conner, Barr, Lee, Deccio and Cantu and Johnson; by Joint Select Committee on Workers' Compensation request

Read first time 2/8/85 and referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor.

WHEREAS, The industrial insurance system of the state of Washington has been subjected to intensive review and analysis in recent years; and

          WHEREAS, The Joint Select Committee on Workers' Compensation created in 1984 by House Concurrent Resolution No. 35 presented a report of its findings and recommendations to the 1985 Legislature; and

          WHEREAS, Many of the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee on Workers' Compensation require on-going analysis and continuing legislative oversight for proper implementation; and

          WHEREAS, The magnitude of the impact of industrial insurance reform on this state's employers and workers warrants continuing legislative oversight and analysis;

          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the State of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That a Joint Select Committee on Industrial Insurance be established to continue the review and analysis of this state's industrial insurance system and to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee on Workers' Compensation; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee, through consultation with the Department of Labor and Industries, the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals, and the various interest groups affected by the industrial insurance system, shall review and make recommendations on the following issues:

          (1) Implementation of the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee on Workers' Compensation;

          (2) Cost drivers in the industrial insurance system, their commensurate impact on premiums, and techniques for effective cost containment;

          (3) Unfunded liability and its impact on industrial insurance premiums;

          (4) Decentralization, integration, and automation of the claims management system;

          (5) The impact of self-insurance on employer premiums and the delivery of services for injured workers;

          (6) The vocational rehabilitation program, its effectiveness in returning injured workers to gainful employment, and its effect on the duration of time-loss payments;

          (7) The organizational structure of the Department of Labor and Industries and the need for more interaction with the affected interest groups;

          (8) Review the current "category" system used to rate unspecified permanent partial disabilities and the effect of proposals to adopt the American Medical Association's Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, Second Edition;

          (9) The existing legal precedents which permit a retired worker to qualify for worker compensation benefits and whether a worker's voluntary detachment from the labor force should be a legal consideration in determining eligibility for time-loss and pension benefits; and

          (10) Any other industrial insurance issue that the committee determines to be pertinent to its general responsibility; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee shall consist of ten voting members appointed as follows:

          (1) Two members from each caucus of the Senate, selected by the President of the Senate; one member from each caucus shall be a member of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee;

          (2) Two members from each caucus of the House of Representatives, selected by the Speaker; one member from each caucus shall be a member of the House Commerce and Labor Committee; and

          (3) The chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Commerce and Labor Committees; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee will use legislative staff and facilities, but may hire additional staff with specific technical expertise if such expertise is necessary to carry out the mandates of this resolution.  All expenses of the committee shall be paid jointly by the Senate and the House of Representatives; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature by the commencement of the 1986 regular session of the Legislature.  The committee shall cease to exist on April 1, 1986.