The Business Council of New York State, Inc. is proud to ask for your support of the above captioned legislation which provides long overdue relief for employees and employers alike. For employees the relief comes in the form of significantly increased benefits for injured workers. For employers the relief comes in the form of reforms which will reduce costs.
We wish to thank the legislative leaders and the governor for allowing us to participate in a process which was very deliberate, very determined and very much dedicated to protecting the well-being of injured workers and improving the competitive position of employers.
At the end of the day, this compromise legislation will
put in place changes which will result in New York State's
workers' compensation program being much more like
the systems found in other states.
We believe this legislation will also act as a springboard
toward further restructuring of our workers' compensation
system which will streamline an overly burdensome and contentious
system to better serve the needs of injured workers and
conscientious employers.
From the start of the process to resolve many previously contentious issues, the focus of the legislature, the governor, labor and business, was on addressing the fundamental problems which have plagued the system for decades.
We believe this legislation represents an important step forward in addressing these problems, and we respectfully request your support of this legislation.