Committee Passes Bill to Repeal Appeals Commission

Alaska’s House Labor and Commerce Committee passed a bill that would repeal the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Commission in 2017 and send appeals directly to the state’s superior court system. House Bill 214, by Rep. Kurt Olson, R-Kenai, was introduced in January and wasn’t acted on until the Labor and Commerce Committee passed the measure on Thursday.  A fiscal analysis prepared by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development projects eliminating the five-member commission would save $183,200 in 2017 and $439,600 a year starting in 2018. The bill would...