Legislature Passes Bill Authorizing COVID-19 Claims

The Arkansas legislature sent to the governor a bill that would create a COVID-19  exception to the prohibition on compensation for ordinary diseases of life to which the general public is exposed. The Senate on Thursday voted 34-0 to pass House Bill 1488, by Rep. Justin Gonzales, R-Okolona. The state House of Representatives voted 74-9 to pass the measure on March 1. The bill would establish COVID-19 as a compensable occupational disease for the period from March 11, 2020, through May 1, 2023. HB 1488 would also declare that requiring a person to work when the employer has knowled...