BWC Budget Bill Excludes Ban on Compensation for Undocumented Workers

Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a biennium budget for the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation but left out a provision that would have barred benefits for undocumented workers injured on the job. House Bill 27 authorizes a $290 million budget for the BWC for each of the next two years, an increase of just less than 2% from fiscal year 2017. The bill, which is headed toward Gov. John Kasich’s desk, passed the Senate 24-9 and then returned to the House without the undocumented worker provision and passed 60-38. The House version would have prohibited “an illegal or unauth...