Signed by Governor Mike DeWine

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that amends fund transfer protocol within the Ohio's Workers' Compensation Law.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $319.8 million to the BWC Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for the fiscal year 2019-2020 (Sec. 1).

• Appropriates $324.8 million to the BWC Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for the fiscal year 2020-2021 (Sec. 1). 

• Authorizes the director of natural resources to request annually that the administrator of worker’s compensation transfer a portion of the funds from the net position of the coal-workers pneumoconiosis fund to the mining regulation and safety fund (Sec. 6).

• Requires the administrator of workers’ compensation upon request of the aforementioned highlight to transfer to the director of natural resources no more than one million dollars on the first day of July or as soon as possible thereafter (Sec. 6).

• Requires the administrator alongside the advice and consent of the bureau of workers’ compensation board of directors, to adopt rules governing the transfer to ensure solvency of the coal-workers pneumoconiosis fund (Sec. 6).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that amends fund transfer protocol within the Ohio's Workers' Compensation Law.

Highlights:

• Requires the administrator of workers’ compensation to create a form on which an employee may file with the administrator, in order to initiate a compensation claim (Sec. 4123.51).

• Requires the form to contain all of the following for a claimant who is an employee (Sec. 4123.51):

• A place for the claimant to state whether they are a citizen of the United States;

• A place for the claimant to state whether they are an undocumented immigrant; and

• A place for a claimant who is not a US citizen or undocumented immigrant to provide the claimant’s “alien registration number” or other signifier that the claimant is authorized to work by the US Department of Homeland Security and the expiration date of the claimant’s authorization to work. 

• Requires the form to contain all of the following for or a claimant who is a dependent of an individual who was an employee and who died as a result of suffering an injury or contracting an occupational disease (Sec. 4123.51):

• A place for the claimant to state whether they are a citizen of the US;

• A place for the claimant to state whether they are and undocumented immigrant;

• A place for the claimant to state whether they reside in the US;

• A place for a claimant who resides in the US and is not a US citizen to provide proof that the claimant resides in the US lawfully; and 

• A place for the claimant to provide the following about the deceased employee:

• Whether the deceased employee was a US citizen;

• Whether the deceased employess was an undocumented immigrant;

• For a deceased employee who was not a US citizen or undocumented immigrant, the deceased employee’s “alien registration number” or other signifier that the deceased employee was authorized to work by the US Department of Homeland Security, and the expiration date of the employeee’s authorization to work. 

• Specifies that a claimant who provides false information is ineligible to receive compensation or benefits under the claim for which the false information was supplied, and shall be subject to prosecution (Sec. 4123.513). 

• Appropriates $319.8 million to the BWC Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for the fiscal year 2019-2020 (Sec. 1).

• Appropriates $324.8 million to the BWC Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for the fiscal year 2020-2021 (Sec. 1). 

Full Bill Text