House Approves Bill to Create Administrative Court System

By John P. Kamin, ReporterThe Oklahoma House of Representatives approved a reform bill on Wednesday that would slash benefits, create an administrative workers' compensation court and allow employers to opt out of the workers' compensation system. House lawmakers approved Senate Bill 1062 with a 74-24 vote that fell largely upon party lines, with Republicans voting for the bill and most Democrats opposing it. The vote came one day after Gov. Mary Fallin, Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Tulsa, and House Speaker T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, announced that the latest version of the bill had su...