Mark Grant, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, released the following statement today concerning the workers’ compensation component of the “Grand Bargain.”
“Now that Democrats have thrown in the towel on the original deal, the Senate has a real chance to pass workers’ comp reform that really fixes Illinois’ workers’ comp system.
“I think everyone agrees our workers’ comp system is broken. Our workers’ compensation costs rank higher than any other state’s in the Midwest, and we’re tied for No. 7 nationally with an annual cost of about $3 billion. On top of that, Illinois taxpayers are on the hook for $400 million a year in workers’ comp costs for state, county, and municipal employees.
“The original workers’ comp component of the ‘Grand Bargain’ didn’t go nearly far enough in bringing workers’ comp costs under control. That’s why we’re asking the Senate to stop playing politics and pass the kind of meaningful workers’ comp reforms everyone agrees we need.”
NFIB is Illinois’ leading small business association. To learn more, visit NFIB.com/IL and follow @NFIB_IL on Twitter.
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