AN ACT to provide an appropriation for defraying the expenses of workforce safety and insurance.
Summary
HB 1021 is an appropriations bill for Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) for the 2025-27 biennium. It authorizes $80,434,139 in special funds from the WSI fund, including $77,245,131 for operations and a $3,189,008 new-and-vacant FTE pool. The bill maintains 260.14 full-time equivalent positions and is framed as funding for the agency’s ongoing administration and service delivery.
The bill also identifies $8,574,375 in one-time funding items that are not part of the agency’s base budget for the next biennium. Those items include a claims and policy system replacement project, enhancements to the MyWSI extranet, and building improvements. The bill requires WSI to report to the seventieth legislative assembly on how those one-time funds are used.
HB 1021 also places a limitation on the new-and-vacant FTE pool: WSI may not spend those funds directly, but may request transfers to its operations budget through the Office of Management and Budget under the guidelines established in House Bill 1015. In practical terms, the bill affects state budgeting and agency administration rather than changing substantive workers’ compensation law.
The bill appears to have been noncontroversial. It passed the House 86-0 and the Senate 44-0, indicating broad bipartisan support and no recorded opposition in either chamber. The absence of committee transcripts or recorded debate suggests the appropriation was treated as a routine budget measure.
The main point of discussion, based on the bill text itself, is how WSI should manage staffing flexibility and one-time technology and facility investments. Any contention would likely have centered on budget oversight, the use of special funds, and the transfer authority for vacant positions, but no formal opposition is reflected in the voting record.
Impact
HB 1021 amends state appropriations law for the 2025-27 biennium by funding Workforce Safety and Insurance from special funds in the state treasury. It increases WSI’s operating appropriation, sets aside money for a new-and-vacant FTE pool, and earmarks one-time funding for a claims and policy system replacement, MyWSI improvements, and building upgrades. The bill does not alter workers’ compensation eligibility, benefits, or employer obligations, but it does affect how WSI may spend and report its administrative funds.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment around HB 1021 was strongly positive and routine. Both chambers approved the bill unanimously, suggesting broad agreement that WSI’s operating budget and planned technology and facility investments were necessary. The lack of recorded dissent indicates the measure was viewed as a standard appropriations bill rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
There is little evidence of active contention in the available record. The only potentially debatable issues are the size and use of the one-time funding items, the creation of a new-and-vacant FTE pool, and the requirement that WSI seek transfer approval through the Office of Management and Budget. Those issues would mainly concern budget oversight and administrative flexibility, but no legislators are recorded as opposing them.