Hearings Scheduled on Bills to Merge Work Comp and Labor Standards Divisions

Alaska lawmakers will hear testimony this week on a pair of bills that would merge the Division of Workers’ Compensation and the Division of Labor Standards and Safety. Senate Bill 66 and companion measure House Bill 68 would create the Division of Workers’ Safety and Compensation. The new agency would be charged with administering Alaska’s workers’ compensation system, and also investigating wage violations and working conditions. Analyses of the measures project about $283,000 in annual savings resulting from the merger. The bills would take effect July 1 if sig...