Supreme Court Rejects Constitutional Challenge of Comp Reform

By Michael Whiteley, Southern Bureau ChiefThe Oklahoma Supreme Court on Monday upheld the constitutionality of workers' compensation reform legislation that slashes benefits, creates a new administrative workers' compensation court and allows employers to opt out of the system if they design a benefits plan approved by the state insurance commissioner.The high court issued an opinion late Monday finding that Senate Bill 1062, signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin on May 6, does not violate a state constitutional ban on legislation that contains multiple subjects. The new law replaces the...