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S.B. 52

This document includes Senate 2nd Reading Floor Amendments incorporated into the bill on Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 5:12 PM by cmillar. -->              1     

WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT AMENDMENTS

             2     
2012 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Stephen H. Urquhart

             5     
House Sponsor: Don L. Ipson

             6     

             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies the Workers' Compensation Act to address the status of motor
             10      carriers.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    addresses coverage and benefit limits for occupational accident related insurance;
             14          .    requires the commission under certain circumstances to verify occupational accident
             15      related insurance coverage before issuing a workers' compensation coverage waiver;
             16      and
             17          .    makes technical changes.
             18      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             19          None
             20      Other Special Clauses:
             21          None
             22      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             23      AMENDS:
             24          34A-2-104, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2011, Chapter 328
             25     

             26      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             27          Section 1. Section 34A-2-104 is amended to read:



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             28
          34A-2-104. "Employee," "worker," and "operative" defined -- Specific
             29      circumstances -- Exemptions.
             30          (1) As used in this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act, "employee,"
             31      "worker," and "operative" mean:
             32          (a) (i) an elective or appointive officer and any other person:
             33          (A) in the service of:
             34          (I) the state;
             35          (II) a county, city, or town within the state; or
             36          (III) a school district within the state;
             37          (B) serving the state, or any county, city, town, or school district under:
             38          (I) an election;
             39          (II) appointment; or
             40          (III) any contract of hire, express or implied, written or oral; and
             41          (ii) including:
             42          (A) an officer or employee of the state institutions of learning; and
             43          (B) a member of the National Guard while on state active duty; and
             44          (b) a person in the service of any employer, as defined in Section 34A-2-103 , who
             45      employs one or more workers or operatives regularly in the same business, or in or about the
             46      same establishment:
             47          (i) under any contract of hire:
             48          (A) express or implied; and
             49          (B) oral or written;
             50          (ii) including aliens and minors, whether legally or illegally working for hire; and
             51          (iii) not including any person whose employment:
             52          (A) is casual; and
             53          (B) not in the usual course of the trade, business, or occupation of the employee's
             54      employer.
             55          (2) (a) Unless a lessee provides coverage as an employer under this chapter and
             56      Chapter 3, Utah occupational Disease Act, any lessee in mines or of mining property and each
             57      employee and sublessee of the lessee shall be:
             58          (i) covered for compensation by the lessor under this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah



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             59
     Occupational Disease Act;
             60          (ii) subject to this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act; and
             61          (iii) entitled to the benefits of this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease
             62      Act, to the same extent as if the lessee, employee, or sublessee were employees of the lessor
             63      drawing the wages paid employees for substantially similar work.
             64          (b) The lessor may deduct from the proceeds of ores mined by the lessees an amount
             65      equal to the insurance premium for that type of work.
             66          (3) (a) A partnership or sole proprietorship may elect to include any partner of the
             67      partnership or owner of the sole proprietorship as an employee of the partnership or sole
             68      proprietorship under this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act.
             69          (b) If a partnership or sole proprietorship makes an election under Subsection (3)(a),
             70      the partnership or sole proprietorship shall serve written notice upon its insurance carrier
             71      naming the persons to be covered.
             72          (c) A partner of a partnership or owner of a sole proprietorship may not be considered
             73      an employee of the partner's partnership or the owner's sole proprietorship under this chapter or
             74      Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act, until the notice described in Subsection (3)(b) is
             75      given.
             76          (d) For premium rate making, the insurance carrier shall assume the salary or wage of
             77      the partner or sole proprietor electing coverage under Subsection (3)(a) to be 100% of the
             78      state's average weekly wage.
             79          (4) (a) A corporation may elect not to include any director or officer of the corporation
             80      as an employee under this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act.
             81          (b) If a corporation makes an election under Subsection (4)(a), the corporation shall
             82      serve written notice upon its insurance carrier naming the persons to be excluded from
             83      coverage.
             84          (c) A director or officer of a corporation is considered an employee under this chapter
             85      and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act, until the notice described in Subsection (4)(b)
             86      is given.
             87          (5) As used in this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act, "employee,"
             88      "worker," and "operative" do not include:
             89          (a) a sales agent or associate broker, as defined in Section 61-2f-102 , who performs



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             90
     services in that capacity for a principal broker if:
             91          (i) substantially all of the sales agent's or associate broker's income for services is from
             92      real estate commissions; and
             93          (ii) the sales agent's or associate broker's services are performed under a written
             94      contract that provides that:
             95          (A) the real estate agent is an independent contractor; and
             96          (B) the sales agent or associate broker is not to be treated as an employee for federal
             97      income tax purposes;
             98          (b) an offender performing labor under Section 64-13-16 or 64-13-19 , except as
             99      required by federal statute or regulation;
             100          (c) an individual who for an insurance producer, as defined in Section 31A-1-301 ,
             101      solicits, negotiates, places or procures insurance if:
             102          (i) substantially all of the individual's income from those services is from insurance
             103      commissions; and
             104          (ii) the services of the individual are performed under a written contract that states that
             105      the individual:
             106          (A) is an independent contractor;
             107          (B) is not to be treated as an employee for federal income tax purposes; and
             108          (C) can derive income from more than one insurance company;
             109          (d) notwithstanding Subsection 34A-2-103 (4), an individual who provides domestic
             110      work for a person if:
             111          (i) the person for whom the domestic work is being provided receives or is eligible to
             112      receive the domestic work under a state or federal program designed to pay the costs of
             113      domestic work to prevent the person from being placed in:
             114          (A) an institution; or
             115          (B) a more restrictive placement than where that person resides at the time the person
             116      receives the domestic work;
             117          (ii) the individual is paid by a person designated by the Secretary of the Treasury in
             118      accordance with Section 3504, Internal Revenue Code, as a fiduciary, agent, or other person
             119      that has the control, receipt, custody, or disposal of, or pays the wages of the individual; and
             120          (iii) the domestic work is performed under a written contract that notifies the



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Senate 2nd Reading Amendments 2-16-2012 cm/po
             121
     individual that the individual is not an employee under this chapter or Chapter 3, Utah
             122      Occupational Disease Act; or
             123          (e) subject to Subsections (6) [and], (7), and (8), an individual who:
             124          (i) (A) owns a motor vehicle; or
             125          (B) leases a motor vehicle to a motor carrier;
             126          (ii) personally operates the motor vehicle described in Subsection (5)(e)(i);
             127          (iii) operates the motor vehicle described in Subsection (5)(e)(i) under a written
             128      agreement with the motor carrier that states that the individual operates the motor vehicle as an
             129      independent contractor; and
             130          (iv) provides to the motor carrier at the time the written agreement described in
             131      Subsection (5)(e)(iii) is executed or as soon after the execution as provided by an insurer:
             132          (A) a copy of a workers' compensation coverage waiver issued pursuant to Part 10,
             133      Workers' Compensation Coverage Waivers Act, by an insurer to the individual; and
             134          (B) proof that the individual is covered by occupational accident related insurance[.]
             135      with the coverage and benefit limits listed in Subsection (7)(c).
             136          (6) An individual described in Subsection (5)(d) or (e) may become an employee under
             137      this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act, if the employer of the individual
             138      complies with:
             139          (a) this chapter and Chapter 3, Utah Occupational Disease Act; and
             140          (b) commission rules.
             141          (7) For purposes of Subsection (5)(e):
             142          (a) "Motor carrier" means a person engaged in the business of transporting freight,
             143      merchandise, or other property by a commercial vehicle on a highway within this state.
             144          (b) "Motor vehicle" means a self-propelled vehicle intended primarily for use and
             145      operation on the highways, including a trailer or semitrailer designed for use with another
             146      motorized vehicle.
             147          (c) "Occupational accident related insurance" means insurance that provides the
             148      following coverage at a minimum S. aggregate .S policy limit of $1,000,000 for S. all
             148a      benefits paid, including medical expense benefits, for .S an injury sustained in the
             149      course of working under a written agreement described in Subsection (5)(e)(iii):
             150          (i) disability benefits;
             151          (ii) death benefits;



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             152
         (iii) medical expense benefits, which include:
             153          (A) hospital coverage;
             154          (B) surgical coverage;
             155          (C) prescription drug coverage; and
             156          (D) dental coverage.
             157          (8) For an individual described in Subsection (5)(e), the commission shall verify the
             158      existence of occupational accident insurance coverage with the coverage and benefit limits
             159      listed in Subsection (7)(c) before the commission may issue a workers' compensation coverage
             160      waiver to the individual pursuant to Part 10, Workers' Compensation Coverage Waivers Act.





Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-31-12 11:16 AM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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