Florida Senate - 2019 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 1636 Ì576406.Î576406 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Senate . House Comm: RCS . 04/01/2019 . . . . ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Committee on Banking and Insurance (Broxson) recommended the following: 1 Senate Substitute for Amendment (730644) (with title 2 amendment) 3 4 Delete line 722 5 and insert: 6 Section 12. Effective July 1, 2020, paragraph (d) of 7 subsection (1) of section 440.10, Florida Statutes, is amended 8 to read: 9 440.10 Liability for compensation.— 10 (1) 11 (d)1. If a contractor becomes liable for the payment of 12 compensation to the employees of a subcontractor who has failed 13 to secure such payment in violation of s. 440.38, the contractor 14 or other third-party payor shall be entitled to recover from the 15 subcontractor all benefits paid or payable plus interest unless 16 the contractor and subcontractor have agreed in writing that the 17 contractor will provide coverage. 18 2. If a contractor or third-party payor becomes liable for 19 the payment of compensation to the corporate officer of a 20 subcontractor who is engaged in the construction industry and 21 has elected to be exempt fromthe provisions ofthis chapter, 22 but whose election is invalid, the contractor or third-party 23 payor may recover from the claimant or corporation all benefits 24 paid or payable plus interest, unless the contractor and the 25 subcontractor have agreed in writing that the contractor will 26 provide coverage. 27 3. If a contractor and an employee leasing company are 28 operating pursuant to an arrangement for employee leasing as 29 defined in s. 468.520(4) and workers’ compensation insurance is 30 provided by the employee leasing company to the leased 31 employees, a person is deemed an employee of the employee 32 leasing company for purposes of workers’ compensation insurance, 33 unless the contractor has secured additional workers’ 34 compensation coverage applicable to the employee, upon the 35 earliest of the following: 36 a. The hiring of the person by the contractor. 37 b. The commencement of work by the person for the 38 contractor. 39 c. The hiring of the person directly by the employee 40 leasing company. 41 Section 13. Effective July 1, 2020, subsection (5) is added 42 to section 468.525, Florida Statutes, to read: 43 468.525 License requirements.— 44 (5) If the client company is a contractor, the requirements 45 of s. 440.10(1)(a) are not satisfied by the employee leasing 46 arrangement unless the contractor has secured additional 47 workers’ compensation insurance for nonleased employees or 48 unless the contractual arrangement provides that a person is 49 deemed an employee of the employee leasing company for purposes 50 of workers’ compensation coverage, upon the earliest of the 51 following: 52 (a) The hiring of the person by the client company. 53 (b) The commencement of work by the person for the client 54 company. 55 (c) The hiring of the person directly by the employee 56 leasing company. 57 Section 14. Effective July 1, 2020, present subsections (4) 58 and (5) of section 468.529, Florida Statutes, are redesignated 59 as subsections (5) and (6), respectively, a new subsection (4) 60 is added to that section, and subsection (1) of that section is 61 amended, to read: 62 468.529 Licensee’s insurance; employment tax; benefit 63 plans.— 64 (1) A licensed employee leasing company is the employer of 65 the leased employees, except that this provision is not intended 66 to affect the determination of any issue arising under Pub. L. 67 No. 93-406, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, as 68 amended from time to time. An employee leasing company shall be 69 responsible for timely payment of reemployment assistance taxes 70 pursuant to chapter 443, and shall be responsible for providing 71 workers’ compensation coverage pursuant to chapter 440. 72 (a) However, anolicensed employee leasing company may not 73shallsponsor a plan of self-insurance for health benefits, 74 except as may be permitted bythe provisions ofthe Florida 75 Insurance Code or, if applicable, by Pub. L. No. 93-406, the 76 Employee Retirement Income Security Act, as amended from time to 77 time. For purposes of this section, the terma“plan of self 78 insurance” excludesshall excludeany arrangement where an 79 admitted insurance carrier has issued a policy of insurance 80 primarily responsible for the obligations of the health plan. 81 (b) This section does not modify the statutory obligation 82 of a client company to secure workers’ compensation coverage as 83 required under s. 440.10 for employees whom the client company 84 does not lease pursuant to an employee leasing arrangement. A 85 client company that is engaged in the construction industry and 86 that is in an employee leasing arrangement shall secure and 87 maintain separate workers’ compensation insurance coverage as 88 required under this section and s. 440.10 unless the employee 89 leasing company and its carrier agree to provide such coverage 90 directly to the client company, covering all persons performing 91 work for the client company at all times, in full compliance 92 with s. 440.10. 93 (4) During the term of an employee leasing arrangement with 94 a contractor, if a contractor does not secure workers’ 95 compensation insurance for nonleased employees, a person is 96 deemed an employee of the employee leasing company for purposes 97 of workers’ compensation insurance upon the earliest of the 98 following: 99 (a) The hiring of such person by the client company. 100 (b) The commencement of work by such person for the client 101 company. 102 (c) The hiring of the person directly by the employee 103 leasing company. 104 Section 15. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 105 made by this act to section 468.529, Florida Statutes, in a 106 reference thereto, paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section 107 468.532, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 108 468.532 Discipline.— 109 (1) The following constitute grounds for which disciplinary 110 action against a licensee may be taken by the board: 111 (g) Failing to maintain workers’ compensation insurance as 112 required in s. 468.529. 113 Section 16. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 114 act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2019. 115 116 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================ 117 And the title is amended as follows: 118 Delete line 824 119 and insert: 120 the act; amending s. 440.10, F.S.; specifying when a 121 person is deemed an employee of an employee leasing 122 company for workers’ compensation insurance purposes 123 under circumstances relating to the company’s employee 124 leasing arrangement with a contractor; amending s. 125 468.525, F.S.; providing that if an employee leasing 126 company’s client company is a contractor, workers’ 127 compensation insurance requirements are not satisfied 128 by the employee leasing arrangement unless certain 129 conditions are met; amending s. 468.529, F.S.; 130 requiring certain client companies to maintain 131 separate workers’ compensation insurance coverage 132 unless certain conditions are met; specifying when a 133 person is deemed an employee of an employee leasing 134 company for workers’ compensation insurance proposes 135 under certain circumstances; providing construction; 136 reenacting s. 468.532(1)(g), F.S., relating to 137 discipline, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 138 468.529, F.S., in a reference thereto; providing 139 effective dates.