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Press Release - Strickland Announces Plan to Restore Transparency and Accountability to Bureau of Workers' Compensation

Date: Sept. 13, 2006
Location: Columbus, OH
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Strickland Announces Plan to Restore Transparency and Accountability to Bureau of Workers' Compensation

(09.13.06)

Columbus, Ohio -Pledging to restore public oversight and accountability to the scandal-ridden Bureau of Workers' Compensation, gubernatorial candidate Congressman Ted Strickland announced a plan today to abolish the current BWC Oversight Commission and replace it with an independent, external board of directors.

The 13-member board would be appointed by the governor and made up of representatives of business, labor, injured workers and the public, as well as actuarial, investment and accounting experts, who would have the power to hire and fire the BWC's administrator. Unlike the current oversight commission, the board of directors would have direct responsibility and authority to oversee the management of the $21 billion system. Current BWC Oversight Commission members would not be eligible to serve on the new board.

"A new, independent board of directors with real oversight authority will help ensure that BWC dollars are invested wisely, that insurance premiums are kept as low as possible, and that workers receive fair and just compensation for their injuries on the job," Strickland said.

The current BWC Oversight Commission has 11 members, only five of whom have full voting rights. Currently, the Oversight Commission has only an "advice and consent" role, meaning it can do nothing to stop corruption or mismanagement. The new independent board of directors would include 13 voting members, and would establish three committees—Audit, Investment and Actuarial—to report back to the board on critical areas of BWC jurisdiction.

"I will look across Ohio to find board members who exemplify what the BWC so desperately needs: integrity, professionalism and fiscal expertise," Strickland said. "Ohio's businesses and their workers deserve nothing less."

http://www.tedstrickland.com/news/534/strickland-announces-plan-to-restore-transparency-and-accountability-to-bureau-of-workers-compensation

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