Indiana Senate Bill 576 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Completed Legislative Action
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: Passed on May 17 2011 - 100% progression
Action: 2011-05-18 - SECTIONS 6 through 18 effective 07/01/2011
Text: Latest bill text (Enrolled) [HTML]

Requires that all members of the worker's compensation board (board) be attorneys in good standing admitted to the practice of law in Indiana. Renames the position of executive secretary executive administrator. Requires a health care provider to file a claim for payment with the board not later than two years after the provider receives an initial written communication from an employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or an agent acting on behalf of the employer in response to the provider's submission of a bill for services. Requires a hospital or facility that is a medical service provider to pay a $60 filing fee for each application filed in a balance billing case. Provides that a filing fee is not required for an application filed for a denied or unpaid claim. Allows a provider to combine up to 10 individual claims into one application whenever all of the individual claims involve the same employer, insurance carrier, or billing review service, and the amount of each individual claim does not exceed $200. Allows the second injury fund to be used to pay certain fund liabilities. Authorizes the board to resolve claims using mediation. Requires an employer to provide a copy of an injury or disablement report to the board upon request. Requires an injury or disablement report within seven days after the first day of a disability arising from a work place injury or disablement by occupational disease (rather than the occurrence of the injury or disablement). Increases civil penalties for failure to: (1) post certain notices; (2) file certain records; or (3) comply with IC 22-3-3-7 or IC 22-3-7-16 (concerning the determination and payment of compensation or benefits). Permits the board to request evidence of worker's compensation and occupational diseases compensation coverage from an employer. Establishes a civil penalty of $50 per employee per day for an employer's failure to provide proof of coverage. Requires the board to waive a civil penalty assessed whenever an employer provides proof of coverage by the twentieth day after the board provides written notice of the employer's failure to provide evidence of the coverage. Allows the board, after notice and a hearing, to post on the board's web site the name of an employer who fails or refuses to provide proof of coverage or pay a civil penalty assessed for the failure or refusal to provide coverage. Provides that an employer's name may not be removed from the board's web site until the employer provides proof of coverage and pays the civil penalties assessed. Requires that civil penalties be deposited in the worker's compensation supplemental administrative fund, instead of the state general fund. Increases criminal penalties for an employer's failure to insure or otherwise provide adequate security for the employer's worker's compensation and occupational disease liabilities and for violating any other worker's compensation or occupational disease laws. Provides that a court may temporarily order an employer that fails or refuses to pay worker's compensation or occupational disease benefits when due to cease doing business until the employer furnishes to the board proof of insurance or other assurances to establish that the employer has the ability to meet all worker's compensation and occupational disease liabilities. Allows the owner of a sole proprietorship who is an independent contractor and does not elect worker's compensation and occupational disease coverage to obtain a certification of exemption. Urges the legislative council to assign to the pension management oversight commission (commission) the task of studying whether to increase the benefit schedules for worker's compensation and occupational disease compensation. Urges the legislative council to assign to the commission or another committee the task of studying whether to amend the definition of "pecuniary liability" to establish the charge for services or products provided by a medical services facility as equal to a percentage determined using the Medicare program reimbursement methodologies, models, and values or weights, including the coding, billing, and reporting payment polices in effect on the date a service or product is provided. Requires, if the commission or another committee is assigned the topics, that the commission or committee issue a final report containing the commission's or committee's findings and recommendations, including any recommended legislation, not later than November 1, 2011. Makes conforming and technical corrections.

Worker's compensation.

Sen. Philip Boots [R]

Sen. James Buck [R]

Sen. Scott Schneider [R]

Sen. Karen Tallian [D]

2011-04-29 - Senate - Senate - Conference committee report 1 : adopted by the Senate (Y: 50 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2011-04-28 - House - House - Conference committee report 1 : adopted by the House (Y: 80 N: 0 NV: 16 Abs: 4) [PASS]
2011-04-12 - House - House - Third reading: recommitted to Committee of One, amendment adopted, passed (Y: 92 N: 0 NV: 4 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2011-02-22 - Senate - Senate - Third reading: passed (Y: 46 N: 2 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2011-05-18		SECTIONS 6 through 18 effective 07/01/2011
2011-05-18		SECTION 5 effective 05/10/2011
2011-05-18		SECTIONS 1 through 4 effective 07/01/2011
2011-05-17		Public Law 168
2011-05-10		Signed by the Governor
2011-05-05		Signed by the President of the Senate
2011-05-05		Signed by the President Pro Tempore
2011-05-05		Signed by the Speaker
2011-04-29		Conference committee report 1 : adopted by the Senate; Roll Call 506: yeas 50, nays 0
2011-04-28		Conference committee report 1 : adopted by the House; Roll Call 704: yeas 80, nays 0
2011-04-28		Rules suspended
2011-04-28		Conference committee report 1 : filed in the House
2011-04-18		House advisors appointed: Gutwein, Leonard and Tyler
2011-04-18		House conferees appointed: Lehman and Niezgodski
2011-04-14		Senate advisors appointed: Buck and Skinner
2011-04-14		Senate conferees appointed: Boots and Tallian
2011-04-14		Senate dissented from House amendments
2011-04-12		Returned to the Senate with amendments
2011-04-12		Amendment 5 ( Lehman) and prevailed; voice vote
2011-04-12		Third reading: recommitted to Committee of One, amendment adopted, passed; Roll Call 492: yeas 92, nays 0
2011-03-31		Amendment 4 (Tyler), prevailed; voice vote
2011-03-31		Amendment 1 (Lehman), prevailed; voice vote
2011-03-31		Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed
2011-03-29		Committee report: do pass, adopted
2011-03-28		Representative Lehman added as sponsor
2011-03-28		Representative Gutwein removed as sponsor
2011-03-28		First reading: referred to Committee on Employment, Labor and Pensions
2011-02-22		Senator Buck added as second author
2011-02-22		Senator Schneider removed as second author
2011-02-22		Cosponsor: Rep. Torr
2011-02-22		House sponsor: Rep. Gutwein
2011-02-22		Referred to the House
2011-02-22		Third reading: passed; Roll Call 250: yeas 46 and nays 2
2011-02-21		Senator Tallian added as coauthor
2011-02-21		Senator Schneider added as second author
2011-02-21		Second reading: ordered engrossed
2011-02-17		Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
2011-01-20		First reading: referred to Committee on Pensions and Labor
2011-01-20		Authored by Senator Boots

Type	Source
Summary	http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2011&session=1&request=getBill&doctype=SB&docno=0576
Text	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/IN/IN0576.1.html
Text	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/SB/SB0576.1.html
Text	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/ES/ES0576.1.html
Text	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/ES/ES0576.2.html
Text	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/ES/ES0576.3.html
Text	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/SE/SE0576.1.html
Roll Call	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/PDF/Srollcal/0250.PDF.pdf
Roll Call	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/PDF/Hrollcal/0492.PDF.pdf
Roll Call	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/PDF/Srollcal/0506.PDF.pdf
Roll Call	http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/PDF/Hrollcal/0704.PDF.pdf