Human Resources, Labor & Employment
Opportunity:
Revising Kentucky’s workers’ compensation laws to reflect demographic, economic and regional realities in a way that will continue to protect injured workers and reduce costs for employers.
Approach:
- Enact an equitable workers’ compensation program that clearly defines injury and disability, requires objective medical review, and minimizes costly litigation.
- End “border wars” by requiring Kentucky to recognize other states’ workers’ compensation coverage and allow their coverage to apply to work done in other states.
- Require workers to re-qualify for medical benefits, terminate lifetime medical benefits when permanent partial disability begins or when a worker is eligible for Medicare. Border states such as Indiana and Ohio require workers to re-qualify for medical benefits after two and six years, respectively.
Opportunity:
Revise prevailing wage laws to maximize investments in construction projects and streamline the design-build process.
Approach:
- Enact a prevailing wage moratorium on all projects fully funded by the state of Kentucky during the biennium, including education projects, so that greater investments can be made to improve our schools facilities, especially in their technology offerings.
Opportunity:
Revise Kentucky’s laws for classification of subcontractors.
Approach:
- Kentucky should enact a simplified system of documentation procedures to clarify businesses’ responsibilities for managing and classifying employees to streamline compliance and enhance revenue collection.
Opportunity:
Shorten Kentucky’s five-year statue of limitations for employee termination or discrimination lawsuits better protect employees and employers.
Approach:
- Match Kentucky’s statute of limitations time period with federal guidelines.
Opportunity
End the expansion of collective bargaining for public employees in Kentucky.
Opportunity:
Oppose wage legislation that places unfair and unnecessary burdens and expenses on employers.