Senate Passes Debit Card Payment Bill

The California Senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow carriers to continue using debit cards to pay indemnity benefits for another year in a vote that allows the measure to be sent to the governor. The Senate on Thursday voted 39-0 to pass AB 489, by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, D-Whittier. The bill would postpone the sunsetting of the statute allowing debit cards as a method to pay benefits until Jan. 1, 2025. AB 489 is the second measure Calderon has introduced to delay the expiration of the law enacted in 2018. Senate Bill 880 created a pilot program allowing electronic benefi...