Lawmakers Set to Consider Mandatory Coverage for Contractors

A pair of Texas lawmakers filed identical companion bills that would require contractors to carry workers' compensation coverage to operate in the Lone Star state. Other measures filed ahead of the Texas legislative session that starts Jan. 24 would create a limited exemption to exclusive remedy for victims of sexual assault, modify the evidentiary standard for first responders to prove mental health claims, and require annual cost-of-living increases for death benefits. Texas is the only state that allows most employers to opt out of carrying work comp, but the law does require that gov...