Bredesen, panel struggle over workers' compensation bill

By Judith R. Tackett, jtackett@nashvillecitypaper.com

 for the The Nashville City Paper
May 7, 2004

Gov. Phil Bredesen and the Senate Commerce Committee are locked in a power struggle over workman’s compensation legislation the governor wants passed this year.

Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Jerry Cooper (D-Morrison), abruptly adjourned a meeting Wednesday to avoid taking up the proposed legislation.

Several bills are up for consideration and Cooper said he wants the administration to hear some of the proposals of other bill sponsors, among them Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville). Cooper said Norris and Sen. Larry Trail (D-Murfreesboro), both attorneys dealing with workers’ comp issues, were experts in the field and he would like the administration to sit down with them and listen to their concerns.

“Sen. Trail and Sen. Norris know more about workers’ comp I can guarantee than a lot of people in the administration,” Cooper said.

Norris said at this point he would support the administration bill as is and wants it to be heard. But he stressed that in his view reform needed to be ongoing and the administration bill would only be a start.

Sen. Joe Haynes (D-Goodlettsville), the sponsor of the administration bill, said he would not mind if the bill was not picked up until next year, which would give the legislature more time to fine-tune the language.

Cooper said Thursday he did not plan to call the Senate Commerce Committee into session until the administration is willing to sit down with Norris and Trail to discuss the issue again. In particular, Norris and Trail are working on improving the language that defines injuries under the workers’ compensation provision.

Cooper said he is aware that the administration is “not very happy” about his decision.

Bredesen said he did not know “how many more meetings we could possibly have had with anyone about these subjects.”

He said there is a difference between listening to proposals and implementing those proposals. Bredesen added the administration is convinced the lowering of the multiplier on partial permanent disability claims was more certain to lower workers’ compensation costs than placing a new definition on injuries.

Bredesen said he is committed that some sort of workers’ compensation reform come out of this session.

“I had no indication that there is some serious movement not to do it,” he said. “I think people understand what they have to do and they just have some trouble standing up and pulling the trigger.”