Bill
HB 2053
85(R) - 2017
House Business & Industry
Senate Business & Commerce
House Business & Industry
Senate Business & Commerce
Workers’ Compensation
Vote Recommendation
Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
Author(s)
Rene Oliveira
Sponsor(s)
Brandon Creighton
Bill Caption
Relating to the enforcement of workers' compensation compliance and practice requirements.
Fiscal Notes
No significant fiscal implication to the state is anticipated.
Bill Analysis
HB 2053 would amend the Labor Code to have the Workers’ Compensation Division maintain an investigation unit to now conduct investigations related to alleged criminal offenses. Also, an offense would now be classified as a Class A misdemeanor if the value of benefits or premium avoided is less than $2,500, a $1,000 increase from current law. An offense would constitute a state jail felony if the value of benefits or premium avoided is over $2,500, a $1,000 increase from current law.
Vote Recommendation Notes
While increasing the threshold to apply a Class A misdemeanor or a state jail felony is a good thing, those penalties would still be pegged to a very low pecuniary scale. A state jail felony carries a minimum 180 days incarceration which may be somewhat disproportionate for a $2,500 crime. Still, this is a procedural bill that updates the investigation of and penalties regarding criminal offenses of workers' compensation laws and does not appear to have a connection to our liberty principles, therefore remain neutral.
Organizations Supporting
American Insurance Association
National Federation of Independent Business
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America
Texas AFL-CIO
Texas Association of Business
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