Disability Law

Senate Recedes; Adopts House Version of WC Attorney's Fee Bill

By David A. McCranie, Esq.

I said in yesterday's post that unless there was some dramatic movement on the last day of the legislative session, the workers' compensation attorney's fee bills were dead.  Well, there was some dramatic movement. In the final hours of the session, the Senate receded from CS/CS/SB 2072 and adopted C/S HB 903 by a vote of 22-16, with two members not voting.  The vote split predictably along party lines, although 5 Republicans (Sen. Dockery (R-Lakeland), Sen. Garcia (R-Hialeah), Sen. Jones (R-Seminole), Sen. Peaden (R-Crestview), and Sen. Villalobos (R-Miami) broke rank and voted no, and 2 Democrats (Sen. Siplin (D-Orlando) and Sen. Smith (D-West Palm Beach)) voted yes.  The Miami Herald has the story here, and the St. Pete Times has this coverage.

Why the last-minute shift?  Who knows, but there had been rumors that the workers' compensation bill was being used by the Senate as a "bargaining chip" to get something from the House that it wanted, namely, this property insurance bill which the Senate favored over the comparable House version. The House adopted this measure yesterday by a vote of 80-35.

All eyes are now focused on Gov. Crist to see whether he will veto CS/HB 903.  Under the Florida Constitution, he must veto the measure within seven days after its presentation, or within 15 days after its presentation if the legislature adjourns in the interim, or it automatically becomes law.

Full post as published by Florida Workers’ Compensation Law Blog on May 02, 2009 (boomark / email).