Lawmakers File Bills to Eliminate Appeals Commission

Two Alaska Republicans bills in advance of the 2016 legislative session that would eliminate the Workers' Compensation Appeals Commission and send cases through the state's superior court system instead. House Bill 214, by Rep. Kurt Olson, R-Soldotna, and companion measure SB 119, by Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, eliminate the five-member commission created in 2005 to hear appeals of decisions issued by the Workers' Compensation Board. The bills would take effect June 1 and effectively shut down the commission Feb. 2, 2017, by terminating all appointments on that day. Und...