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Committee backs repeal of dormant Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council
Summary
The committee voted to report SB 382 favorably, a bill to repeal the 16-member Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council that witnesses said has not met in years and consumes agency resources without producing useful recommendations.
The chair introduced Senate Bill 382 to repeal the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council, a 16-member statutory panel. Patrick Robinson of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry told the committee the council has not been active for several years and that the Department of Labor has been engaging stakeholders directly instead of using the council.
Robinson said the council was useful historically but has become "a council in name only," noting canceled meetings and a supermajority voting rule that limited its effectiveness when it did meet. He said administrative burdens—paperwork, filings and scheduling—consume agency time without producing substantive benefit.
Senator Barrow questioned how long the council had been inactive; Robinson estimated at least four years. Supporters from trade associations, insurers and unions registered in favor. Senator Seeball moved the bill favorably; hearing no opposition, the committee reported SB 382 favorably.
The committee’s action repeals a statutory advisory body that testimony characterized as unused; proponents said the repeal would reduce administrative burden without eliminating the agencies’ ability to consult stakeholders by other means. The bill was reported favorably and will proceed to the next legislative stage.
