Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workers Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House questions who pays proposed $125 filing fee in workers' compensation records bill; measure advances
Summary
Floor members asked whether an additional $125 filing fee referenced in the fiscal note for Senate Bill 830 would be borne by claimants, employers or insurers. A committee representative said the charge is a filing fee for the Uninsured Employers' Fund and the Subsequent Injury Fund, and the bill was ordered past third reading.
Annapolis — Questions on the fiscal impact of a workers' compensation records bill were raised on the floor of the Maryland House of Delegates on March 16, and a committee representative clarified the fee mechanics before the chamber advanced the measure.
Senate Bill 830, described on the floor as relating to workers' compensation claims application forms and authorization for the release of information, was taken up during the consent calendar. The floor leader asked whether a line in the fiscal note referring to “an additional hundred and $25 fee” would be passed along to people requesting information, or if that fee would fall on employers, insurers or an injured worker.
"Is that a fee that would potentially be passed along to people who are requesting this information... or is that a fee that would be pushed upon to either an employer and insurer or to a potential claimant, an injured worker in the process?" the floor leader asked on the record.
A committee representative answered that the charge referenced in the fiscal note is a filing fee for the Uninsured Employers' Fund (UEF) and the Subsequent Injury Fund (SIF). The representative summarized: "It's just a filing fee for the — the UEF and SIF," and later clarified that the additional costs would be part of premiums or administrative costs borne by employers or their insurers.
After that clarification, the House proceeded. The clerk announced that, "Hearing none, the bill is ordered past the third reading," indicating the measure advanced in the legislative process.
Why it matters: The UEF and SIF are state funds tied to workers' compensation administration. Questions about who ultimately bears an administrative filing fee — an employer, insurer or claimant — affect how costs are allocated in the workers' compensation system.
What the transcript shows: The floor exchanged questions and answers about the fiscal note but contained no definitive language in the transcript that the fee would be assessed directly on claimants; the committee representative stated the cost is associated with UEF and SIF filings and that employers/insurers would incur additional premium costs.
Next steps: Senate Bill 830 was ordered past the third reading on March 16; any final fiscal effects will be reflected in the bill's enrolled text, fiscal notes and implementing materials if the bill becomes law.
