House Bill 1187

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1187

        By Representative Goode






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the workers' compensation

  3         joint underwriting plan; amending s. 440.50,

  4         F.S.; providing for using funds in the Workers'

  5         Compensation Administration Trust Fund for

  6         fixed operating expenses of a workers'

  7         compensation joint underwriting plan; amending

  8         s. 440.51, F.S.; providing definitions;

  9         providing plan reporting requirements;

10         requiring the Division of Workers' Compensation

11         of the Department of Labor and Employment

12         Security to transfer certain moneys to the plan

13         under certain circumstances; amending s.

14         627.311, F.S.; providing an additional means of

15         funding a plan deficit; providing an effective

16         date.

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18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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20         Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section

21  440.50, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

22         440.50  Workers' Compensation Administration Trust

23  Fund.--

24         (1)(a)  There is established in the State Treasury a

25  special fund to be known as the "Workers' Compensation

26  Administration Trust Fund" for the purpose of providing for

27  the payment of all expenses in respect to the administration

28  of this chapter, including the vocational rehabilitation of

29  injured employees as provided in s. 440.49 and the payments

30  due under s. 440.15(1)(f), the funding of the fixed operating

31  expenses of the plan, and the funding of the Bureau of

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1187

    154-275-00






  1  Workers' Compensation Fraud within the Department of

  2  Insurance.  Such fund shall be administered by the division.

  3         Section 2.  Subsections (13) and (14) are added to

  4  section 440.51, Florida Statutes, to read:

  5         440.51  Expenses of administration.--

  6         (13)  As used in ss. 440.50 and 440.51, the term:

  7         (a)  "Plan" means the workers' compensation joint

  8  underwriting plan provided for in s. 627.311(4).

  9         (b)  "Fixed operating expenses" means the expenses of

10  the plan, not to exceed $1.5 million, which are directly

11  related to the plan's operation and administration, but which

12  do not vary in direct relationship to the amount of premium

13  written by the plan, and which do not include loss adjustment

14  expenses.

15         (14)  Prior to July 1 each year, the plan shall notify

16  the division of the amount of the plan's gross written

17  premiums for the preceding calendar year. Whenever the plan's

18  gross written premiums reported to the division are less than

19  $30 million, the division shall transfer to the plan an amount

20  equal to the plan's fixed operating expenses for the preceding

21  calendar year.

22         Section 3.  Paragraph (g) of subsection (4) of section

23  627.311, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

24         627.311  Joint underwriters and joint reinsurers.--

25         (4)

26         (g)  Whenever a deficit exists, the plan shall, within

27  90 days, provide the department with a program to eliminate

28  the deficit within a reasonable time. The deficit may be

29  funded both through increased premiums charged to insureds of

30  the plan for subsequent years, through use of policyholder

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1187

    154-275-00






  1  surplus attributable to any year, and through assessments on

  2  insureds in the plan if the plan uses assessable policies.

  3         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  4  law.

  5

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  7                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  8
      Provides for using funds in the Workers' Compensation
  9    Administration Trust Fund for fixed operating expenses of
      a workers' compensation joint underwriting plan, defines
10    "plan" and "fixed operating expenses," provides plan
      reporting requirements, requires the Division of Workers'
11    Compensation of the Department of Labor and Employment
      Security to transfer to the plan an amount equal to the
12    plan's fixed operating expenses for the preceding
      calendar year whenever the plan's reported gross written
13    premiums are less than $30 million, and provides for
      funding a plan deficit through use of policyholder
14    surpluses.

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