Lawmaker to Keep Pushing Attorney Fee Cap Bill
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 | 0
Despite opposition from the business community, a Republican lawmaker says he will continue to push his House Bill 7009, which caps claimants’ attorney fees at $150 an hour.
Seventeen business organizations, including the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida, say the bill is premature and doesn’t go far enough to reduce what they say are major cost drivers.
“It’s hard for me to understand not wanting to push forward with everything we got,” Rep. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills and chairman of the House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee, told the News Service of Florida.
The House passed HB 7009 on a 74-30 GOP party-line vote on Jan. 12. The Senate has not yet taken up the bill, which remains in that chamber’s Banking and Insurance, Appropriations, and Rules committees.
The business groups wanted the Legislature to wait another year to pass workers’ compensation reforms so lawmakers and stakeholders can analyze better data as a result of the state Supreme Court’s decision in Castellanos v. Next Door Co.
The ruling declared the state’s statutory fee formula unconstitutional because it did not provide for reasonable fees in some circumstances.
“We have to appreciate the effort, but we just don’t think team business gets a win in the end,” said National Federation of Business-Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle.
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