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House approves rule to reduce workers' compensation when drug or alcohol is a contributing cause
Summary
The Utah House approved Senate Bill 162 on March 2, 1999, establishing a presumption that illegal drug use or intoxication contributed to workplace injuries when testing confirms substances and directing a reduction in compensation in some cases; vote was 53-21 amid concerns about presumption and false positives.
On March 2, 1999, the Utah House passed Senate Bill 162, which changes workers' compensation rules by establishing a presumption that the use of illegal drugs, abuse of prescription medication in excess of therapeutic amounts, or intoxication (blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 grams) is a major contributing cause of on-the-job injury when confirmed by testing. The House vote was 53 yes, 21 no.
Sponsor Representative Wei framed the bill as a tool to protect co-workers and employers and to discourage drug and alcohol use in the workplace. "This bill is just trying to put the burden of proof on the abusers," Wei told the House, and she cited studies about…
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