Bill Would Create Presumption That Casino Workers' Disease is Compensable

Employees in smoky casinos are gambling with their health and deserve automatic workers' compensation for respiratory disease, according to the author of a bill introduced in the Legislature this week. Senate Bill 3230, introduced by Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Salem, would create a rebuttable presumption that a casino worker's respiratory condition is an occupational disease if the employee worked in a smoking area. "This presumption may be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence that the disease did not arise out of and in the course of the employment, including info...