Police, Firefighters Vigorously Oppose Reform Bill

Thursday, March 30, 2017 | 0

Kentucky police and firefighters have come out strongly against a bill that would roll back workers' compensation benefits, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

Rep. Adam Koenig

Rep. Adam Koenig, R-Erlanger, has been fielding calls and emails from concerned first responders about his House Bill 296 for more than a week, the paper reports.

Lexington's firefighters union and the state Fraternal Order of Police are among the first responder groups fighting the bill.

FOP members have written op-eds and bombarded Koenig with calls and emails, and their legislative representative made a YouTube video outlining the group's reasons for opposing the bill.

"We are against this bill because it hurts cops and workers who are still working and wanting to keep working," Jilek said in the video. "At the end of the day, the bill truly only helps businesses and stands to hurt working people."

HB 296 would cap benefits for permanent partial disabilities at 15 years, prevent most people from collecting benefits at age 70, prevent workers from making repetitive-injury claims five years after doing the work and impose treatment guidelines.

Koenig added an amendment raising the cap on weekly benefits by $83.

The bill passed in the House 58-40 on Feb. 22. It has been in a Senate committee ever since.