Governor Brown Urges Passage Of Two Bills
Sacramento. CA – Governor Jerry Brown is putting two bills on the top of the list for the Legislature to get passed today. Governor Brown says “Today the Legislature will conclude its session with hundreds of bills yet to consider. Two of the bills deserve extra special attention: Pension Reform and Workers’ Compensation Reform.”
The Pension Reform bill would include more modest pension formulas, higher retirement ages, anti-spiking provisions, and caps on pensionable incomes giving government employers greater flexibility to negotiate higher contribution rates from workers.
Brown says “Pension Reform is long overdue and we can take a bold step forward by passing it today.”
The Workers’ Compensation Reform bill could increase payments to injured workers by about 29 percent. The plan would save costs by eliminating services that are frequently subject to lawsuits, such as enhancements for psychiatric problems, sexual dysfunction or loss of sleep.
Brown says “Workers’ Compensation Reform has gotten less attention but is no less important. For months, people whom I trust have held public hearings and worked with labor and management to reform a broken system. They have crafted an extraordinary bill that will avert an imminent crisis where workers suffer and rates will skyrocket.” Brown adds “That happened in 2004, but this time, we have the chance to fix a problem before it becomes a crisis. We have the chance to make the Workers’ Compensation System better, much better, for workers and cheaper for business.”
Both bills are up for a vote today which is the last day of the legislative session.
