Calling on the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to oppose House Bill 1800 of the 2015-2016 Session, currently before the Committee on Labor and Industry, which amends the "Workers' Compensation Act" and creates unnecessary changes to a successful system.

WHEREAS, The Workers’ Compensation Act of Pennsylvania was originally authored in 1915, and has provided 101 years of just compensation to injured workers across the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, According to a Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine study of Pennsylvania Workers found that the overall proportion of satisfied workers was 83.97 percent, which is consistent with other states and studies, and

WHEREAS, House Bill 1800 shifts the burden of proof for the care provided from insurance companies to doctors and the injured worker, while simultaneously restricting doctors to treatment guidelines that remove the capacity of doctors to prescribe individual care to individual patients; and

WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Department of Labor opposes such an amendment to the Workers’ Compensation Act; and

WHEREAS, The City Council of Philadelphia has a vested interest in assuring that the Worker’s Compensation process is as efficient and effective as possible to allow employees to get back to work and businesses to continue growth and success; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, by the City Council of Philadelphia, That this body and City stands in opposition to House Bill 1800 and calls on the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to oppose House Bill 1800 of the 2015-2016 Session, currently before the Committee on Labor and Industry, which amends the “Workers’ Compensation Act” and creates unnecessary changes to a successful system.

Further Resolved, That copies of this Resolution be circulated to the Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry, the Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary for Compensation and Insurance, and all members of the General Assembly Committee on Labor and Industry.

End