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Senate committee hears debate on HB 1788 to change workers’ comp wage‑replacement formula
Summary
Lawmakers and witnesses debated a bill to equalize workers’ compensation wage‑replacement percentages for single parents and married workers, with proponents calling it an equity fix and opponents warning of higher time‑loss costs and urging a broader systemic review.
Olympia — The Senate Labor & Commerce Committee heard testimony on second substitute House Bill 1788 on Monday, a bill that would change the formula used to calculate workers’ compensation time‑loss payments and equalize benefits for single parents and married workers.
Committee staff told members the bill, sponsored in the House by Representative Addison Richards, would alter time‑loss percentages and add a 2% payment to a child's legal custodian, reducing payments to the worker or surviving spouse by that amount. Susan Jones, committee staff, said the bill passed the House 78‑18 and that a fiscal estimate on the proposed second substitute shows $509,000 to the accident and medical aid accounts.
Supporters said the measure fixes an inequity in the decades‑old formula. "This bill simply fixes an inequity in the time loss formula for different…
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